Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia bounced back to form during the third race of the MotoGP season with a surprise victory at the Grand Prix of the Americas.
Marc Marquez’s grave error in slippery conditions saw him lose the race lead and eventually retire from the Grand Prix of the Americas after sustaining some damage.
Bagnaia was in the best position to take advantage of the situation, easing past his fallen rival and coasting to the finish.
Despite winning all six races this year, neither factory Ducati rider leads the riders’ championship. Instead, it’s Marquez’s brother Alex who does on the Gresini machine.
Bagnaia was feeling ‘angry’ at Ducati after two races before claiming his first victory of the season. He expected more from the start of the campaign.
After his struggles, Bagnaia has taken fresh advice from Valentino Rossi and it seemed to pay dividends almost straight away. His fellow countryman knows a thing or two about winning.
READ MORE: Jorge Martin tells Francesco Bagnaia what he needs to match ‘impetuous’ Marc Marquez at Ducati
Michael Laverty spotted change in Francesco Bagnaia’s attitude at the Grand Prix of Americas
Neil Hodgson ‘couldn’t believe’ Marquez’s mistake, and it may have dented his confidence – something which his teammate has just begun to rediscover.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Michael Laverty admitted that he had seen a big change from Bagnaia in Texas over the weekend.
“Pecco is right back in it,” he said. “Pecco looked a different man today. I had seen it yesterday, the comments were good, it was positive.”
The riders’ championship has been flipped on its head and Alex Marquez now leads by one point over Marc. A further 11 points behind is Bagnaia.
As witnessed at COTA, everything can change in one corner, which sets up a tantalising next 19 rounds of the calendar.
READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia explains what makes Ducati’s MotoGP squad superior to Ferrari Formula 1 team
Why Francesco Bagnaia has been far better than he has been given credit for in 2025
Entering the Grand Prix of Americas, Bagnaia had already secured his best-ever start to a MotoGP season despite all the criticism flying around.
The paddock viewed his first few events as a disaster, but they look nothing like it now he has managed an important victory.
It’s by far his strongest opening three races to a championship and he appears to be warming to the challenge by the day.
The upcoming Qatar Grand Prix spells an opportunity for him to snatch the lead in the standings over the Marquez brothers.
It would mean he heads to Europe with all the momentum in Ducati, after reminding everyone of just how good he is.
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