Francesco Bagnaia gives himself a score out of 10 for his Ducati performances in 2025

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Francesco Bagnaia arrives at the Czech Grand Prix 147 points behind Ducati teammate Marc Marquez. But he remains outwardly optimistic that he will turn his season around.

Marquez has won seven out of 11 Grands Prix and 10 Sprint races. Bagnaia’s sole victory came in the Americas GP when the Spaniard crashed out of the lead.

Bagnaia has won at least four Grands Prix every single year since he joined the Ducati factory team. But Marquez is, if anything, getting stronger and stronger.

The six-time MotoGP champion carries a four-win streak to Brno. The bigger issue for Bagnaia, perhaps, is that he’s trailing satellite rider Alex Marquez by 64 points.

Francesco Bagnaia says ‘I can give myself a six’ for 2025 performances

Bagnaia appeared in the official press conference ahead of the Czech Grand Prix and was asked to assign a rating to his season so far. Based on last year’s standards, he’d only give himself a five.

The Italian was runner-up to Jorge Martin in a season-long title battle in 2024. He notched six pole positions and 11 victories.

However, Bagnaia feels he deserves a six out of 10 in light of the initial ‘chaos’. He’s repeatedly complained about a lack of ‘feeling’ with the GP25 bike.

After rallying from a woeful Sprint to finish on the podium at the Aragon Grand Prix, Bagnaia suggested he’d finally made a breakthrough. While he repeated that result in the Netherlands and Germany, Marquez still looks to be a level above.

“I don’t want to take 2024 into account, because if I did I’d give myself a five,” he said. “If I think about where I was at the start of the season, the problems I had, I’d say I can give myself a six.

“I worked well in some situations, in others I was nervous. Sometimes it’s better to stay calm and talk to the team and then get back to work well.

“In the last three Grands Prix we’ve made steps forward, so I think my rating has improved compared to the beginning, when we had a bit of chaos. I’m happy with what we’re doing and I think the work is starting to pay off.”

Pecco Bagnaia hit with ‘abysmal’ Jorge Lorenzo criticism ahead of Czech Grand Prix

Giacomo Agostini says Ducati should sign Marco Bezzecchi, or Fermin Aldeguer, if they don’t renew Bagnaia’s contract. His deal expires at the end of 2026.

Ducati have repeatedly stated that the two-time world champion has their support. But interested riders are bound to make contact with the Bologna outfit next year if he continues to struggle.

In the opinion of MotoGP legend Jorge Lorenzo, the gap between Bagnaia and Marquez was ‘abysmal’ at the Sachsenring. Many predicted a close-fought title battle at the beginning of the season.

But Bagnaia has had to adjust his targets. Beating Marquez to a race win on pure pace would give him more confidence heading into 2026, though a reset may be required this winter.