Francesco Bagnaia was close to ‘losing his temper’ after one question about Marc Marquez at Qatar Grand Prix

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Francesco Bagnaia entered the Qatar Grand Prix as the favourite. The consensus was that it would be one of his strongest circuits, and one of the weakest for teammate Marquez.

Bagnaia had stood on the Lusail podium three times in the premier class, most notably in 2024, when he took victory. Marquez, by contrast, hadn’t won under the lights for more than a decade despite his dominance at Honda.

And yet, the Spaniard left Qatar having regained the championship lead, 26 points ahead of his teammate. He swept the weekend while Bagnaia paid the price for a qualifying mistake.

Starting from 11th, the two-time world champion could only recover to eighth in the Sprint. He was stronger during the Grand Prix as he crossed the line third, which became second when Maverick Vinales received a 16-second penalty.

Still, this was a weekend that Bagnaia was targeting to boost his championship push. Instead, any momentum from his surprise Austin win has fizzled out.

Francesco Bagnaia adamant that he’s not making mistakes because of Marc Marquez pressure

Speaking on The Race’s latest podcast, journalist Simon Patterson discussed Bagnaia’s demeanour at the Qatar Grand Prix. Patterson doesn’t think that pressure is affecting the Italian’s riding.

In fact, when that very subject came up in his Saturday debrief, he reacted passionately. He’s clearly aware of the criticism he’s receiving from some fans on social media.

Bagnaia hasn’t yet been able to dislodge Marquez’s younger brother Alex from second place in the championship. After a long-lap penalty for a collision with Fabio di Giannantonio, the Gresini rider posted his poorest result of 2025 in sixth.

“There’s always a certain intensity with Pecco, because that’s just who he is,” Bagnaia said. “He’s always a focused-sounding guy anyway. Because he’s quiet and thoughtful, it makes him sound apprehensive about speaking sometimes.

“This is not someone that I think is nervous. I asked him about it on Saturday during his media scrum, and he kind of came close to losing his temper with various unnamed people in the paddock, or who used to be in the paddock.

“He went on a bit of a rant about social media comments and about how easy it is to say things when you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. He was very quick to defend himself in a way that had the impassioned intensity you’d expect of Pecco Bagnaia, which makes me think that it’s true too.”

What Valentino Rossi has noticed about Francesco Bagnaia while Marc Marquez has streaked clear

Neil Hodgson says Bagnaia risked ‘a lot’ before his turn-four fall. Going up against a rider of Marquez’s calibre can easily lead to overriding.

Bagnaia is even better at Jerez than he is in Qatar, having won there on the last three visits. He arguably needs to continue that streak this season to banish the notion of a procession for his teammate.

The problem for the #63 rider is that Marquez is now on an all-conquering bike. Many he felt he dragged his Hondas to places they really shouldn’t have been, but this exactly where the Ducati belongs.

Making a rare appearance in Qatar, Valentino Rossi praised Bagnaia for staying calm. The Doctor sees his protege as resilient rather than rattled.