Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia haven’t had the opportunity to properly square off at Ducati yet, but it may not be far away.
The MotoGP title race hasn’t lived up to expectations, but there’s still time for Bagnaia to claw some ground back and put some pressure on his teammate.
The Italian rider has been hurt by a lack of feeling at the front of his Ducati bike and hasn’t been able to get anywhere near matching his 2024 form.
For Marquez, the campaign has been a dream at times, except for damaging mistakes at COTA and Jerez. As the middle of the season approaches, a crucial pivot point dawns.
A Ducati insider has seen Bagnaia do something ‘very important’ by changing one part of his bike, which should keep him in the title race for the time being.
Bagnaia has surprised Fabio Quartararo and his riding style doesn’t appear to be paying dividends this year. It may be part of the reason why he has struggled.
Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia are fighting ‘an internal war’ over Ducati parts
Marquez is working ‘much harder’ at Ducati in one area than ever before, in a bid to gain every advantage that he can over his rivals.
He’s aware of how talented his teammate is, but it’s only a matter of time before their respective talents cause an issue. According to Paddock GP, ‘an internal war’ is brewing at the Italian manufacturer between their riders, who want different things from the GP25 bike.
While Ducati’s ‘greatest advantage’ cannot be copied, their riders still have to spend time finding a setup that suits them. In 2025, that has been far harder for Bagnaia, who recently made a breakthrough at Aragon.
Bagnaia finally stopped saying one thing at Ducati and is happier with a new style of brakes fitted to his bike. Strangely, Marquez feels no benefit from the same part.
The debate doesn’t end there, with aerodynamics also being a key talking point. A new fairing trialled at the second in-season test of the year in Aragon seemed to help Bagnaia find more speed, while for Marquez, it yet again, did little for him.
The six-time champion has campaigned for the fairing to be tested further and introduced slowly, while Bagnaia, who is aware that the title is slipping out of his grasp, understandably would like to see quicker change.
This is what could end up resulting in the ‘internal war’ that most were aware could happen between these two riders.
Marc Marquez has told Ducati not to do one thing in 2025 MotoGP title battle
Currently, Marquez’s closest rival for the title is his brother Alex, riding a GP24 satellite bike for Gresini. He has been very consistent throughout most events.
And the oldest sibling sees the threat he poses. Marquez told Ducati not to help Alex by giving him new parts between now and the end of the season.
It appears that he doesn’t want anyone else to gain any more of an advantage. His current 32-point lead at the top of the standings isn’t quite enough to be comfortable.
If he can limit mistakes and avoid repeating the bigger blunders he has already made in 2025, then he shouldn’t face too much of an issue collecting the title.
The worry will be that Bagnaia’s recent breakthrough will add fuel to the fire, and possibly extra pressure on his shoulders if the Italian can start battling for victories.
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