Not just Alex Marquez, Roberto Locatelli backs one-win MotoGP rider to fight for the 2025 title

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Alex Marquez leads the MotoGP riders championship for the first time in the Gresini ace’s premier class career but he is not the only surprise threat for Roberto Locatelli.

The 28-year-old shot to the top of the standings at the Grand Prix of the Americas last week as Marquez reaps the rewards of his consistency. Gresini have seen their star rider secure P2 finishes in all three Sprint Races plus all three Grands Prix to start the 2025 MotoGP season.

Marquez is still chasing his first Grand Prix win in the premier class after 92 entries, in which he has now reached the rostrum eight times. But finishing every race to start the 2025 term in second place took the Spaniard a point above his brother Marc Marquez in the standings.

Roberto Locatelli tips Fabio Di Giannantonio as a 2025 MotoGP riders’ title threat alongside Alex Marquez

Ducati saw the 32-year-old win the Thailand and Argentina Grands Prix as well as the Sprints at Buriram, Termas and COTA. Yet Marquez crashed out of the lead of the Americas GP to let Francesco Bagnaia through to win his first race this term and to lose the championship lead.

Locatelli believes the 2025 MotoGP riders’ championship is now blown wide open with Alex and Marc Marquez rivalling Bagnaia. The 2000 125cc champion also thinks the Gresini ace is this year’s ‘biggest surprise’ now Marquez is leading the MotoGP standings for the first time.

“It’s clear that Alex Marquez will also be in the mix,” Locatelli noted, via quotes by Motosan. “He’s made a significant leap forward, finding consistency, and is the biggest surprise overall in the first half of 2025.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about Alex Marquez from net worth to career stats

But while Alex Marquez has surprised Locatelli, the Italian also feels VR46 Racing Team duo Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio can contend for the 2025 MotoGP riders’ title. The pair currently sit fourth and fifth in the standings with 32 and 43-point deficits to Alex.

“I really care about the VR46 guys,” Locatelli continued. “I’ve worked with them, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t very happy with what they’re doing.

“If we’re talking about world championship fights, the names I’ll give you are the ones the rankings also say – Morbidelli and Di Giannantonio.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio has never finished higher than 10th in the MotoGP riders’ standings

This term marks the first time that Alex Marquez and Di Giannantonio could contend for the MotoGP riders’ championship. Morbidelli came second in the 2020 season as Joan Mir won the title with Suzuki, beating the then-Petronas Yamaha SRT star by 13 points after 14 races.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Fabio Di Giannantonio from net worth to AS Roma

Morbidelli also enjoyed his most prolific campaign in 2020 with the 30-year-old recording all three of his Grand Prix wins to date that term. Di Giannantonio has never finished a premier class season higher than the P10 he managed in 2024, and took his sole win to date in 2023.

But Locatelli is not the only one to believe the 26-year-old can spring a surprise and fight for the title this year. Carlo Pernat rates Di Giannantonio as a 2025 MotoGP title ‘outsider’ after building on his strong showing in Argentina with P5 in both races with P4 and P3 in America.