Andrea Dovizioso suspects Marc Marquez was surprised by what ‘polished’ Francesco Bagnaia did at Spanish Grand Prix

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The Ducati battle is just beginning after Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia endured a feisty exchange in the early stages of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Fans were treated to a spectacular race in Jerez, but were left disappointed just a few laps in when Marquez crashed.

It was his second error in three races and a terrific opportunity for Bagnaia to stamp some authority over him.

However, yet again the Italian Ducati rider lacked pace and watched on as Marc’s brother, Alex, won the Grand Prix of Spain.

MotoGP fans blamed Bagnaia for Marquez’s crash and were encouraged to see him putting some pressure on his teammate for the first time this season.

However, Bagnaia still has a ‘big limitation’ in dirty air, which is preventing him from showing his true pace on Sunday.

READ MORE: Marc Marquez reveals what he’s been telling Alex Marquez in every meeting amid MotoGP battle

Andrea Dovizioso impressed by Francesco Bagnaia’s ‘polished’ overtaking on Marc Marquez

The early exchanges were so intense that the roar of the fans could be heard on the live broadcast as Bagnaia and Marquez bumped into each other.

It was a tale of cat and mouse, and they swapped positions multiple times before Bagnaia held onto his position.

Speaking to Sky Italia, Andrea Dovizioso was impressed by the way that the Italian rider managed to hold off his teammate and assert some dominance over him.

“As Pecco said, today Marc finding himself behind, found a different feeling, probably related to the aerodynamics today,” he said.

“Marc is finding himself a Pecco who, although not 100% fit, is very polished and that overtaking done at [turn] nine might have affected Marc’s race in a negative way.

“Marc had more, he could have won or played it with Alex. In this Pecco is really strong.”

READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia thankful that MotoGP fans now know the truth after his words about Marc Marquez were twisted

Why Francesco Bagnaia should be happy after the Spanish Grand Prix

After another frustrating race in dirty air, Bagnaia had every reason to be positive on Sunday, with the first of MotoGP’s in-season tests on Monday.