Keith Huewen explains why Francesco Bagnaia is already ‘cooked’ in Marc Marquez battle at Ducati

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Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez will begin their rivalry at the Thailand Grand Prix this weekend. They have collaborated effectively in pre-season, but now the tension could start to rise.

Bagnaia and Marquez have been offering similar feedback to their Ducati engineers, a welcome surprise for the team. They have agreed to stick with the 2024 engine after reporting problems with its successor.

Even though Ducati will race with a bike they’ve labelled the ‘GP24.9’, the two riders start the season as the overwhelming title favourites. The Bologna outfit were so dominant that they don’t need comprehensive updates to stay in front.

This year, there may not be a Jorge Martin figure in satellite colours. Fabio di Giannantonio is riding a factory-spec bike, while Alex Marquez and Franco Morbidelli both impressed in testing.

But none of those riders have shown enough to suggest they can seriously threaten Ducati’s world champion duo. Bagnaia is looking to reclaim the number one plate after he relinquished it to Martin last November.

Marquez, meanwhile, has a glorious chance to win his first title of the decade. That would be his seventh in the premier class, and his ninth overall.

Keith Huewen fears Francesco Bagnaia is about to fall into the Valentino Rossi trap against Marc Marquez

Former Grand Prix racer Keith Huewen issued his verdict on the Ducati battle as part of a season preview for OMG! MotoGP. He sees Marquez as the overwhelming favourite.

He cautioned that injury could play a part in the outcome of the championship – Martin is already out of the Thailand GP – but he thinks Marquez is so comprehensively strong that he’ll be untouchable.

He pointed to Andrea Dovizioso, who finished as runner-up behind the Spaniard for three straight seasons between 2017 and 2019. He never managed to get closer than 37 points.

Even Valentino Rossi couldn’t cope with the fortitude of Marquez, Huewen argues. The Doctor came out on the losing end of their bitter rivalry in the 2010s.

“I think Pecco’s cooked,” Huewen said. “I think he is. If there’s no injury – and with MotoGP that’s the key thing, look at Jorge Martin – Marquez is such a weapon mentally, physically and professionally.

“Pecco may be stoic, he may be prepared for the fight, but you’ve only got to look at the Dovizioso situation in the past. Anybody that’s been around that’s challenged Marc Marquez… you don’t get any bigger than Valentino Rossi, and Marc Marquez saw him off mentally.”

Pecco Bagnaia’s classy gesture when his fan club booed Marc Marquez

Bagnaia has vowed to remain a ‘gentleman’ at Ducati despite criticism from his boss Davide Tardozzi. His principles as an athlete will be put to the ultimate test this year.

Indeed, some think Marquez already started playing mind games with Bagnaia during pre-season testing. He arrives in Buriram widely backed for victory after blitzing the field.

Bagnaia’s fan club are already hostile to Marquez, a legacy of his duels with Rossi. He told them there was ‘no need’ to boo at a recent event in Italy.

It’s being billed as a legacy-defining season for the 28-year-old. If he wants to be placed in the very highest echelon of riders, he has to take ownership of the Ducati team.