Franco Morbidelli disagrees with Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati complaints after testing 2025 engine

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Francesco Bagnaia’s struggles with the Desmosedici GP25 have been well documented this season. The two-time MotoGP champion has not had the same feeling as last year’s machine.

The Italian won 11 races out of 20 with the GP24, but it was not enough to claim a third consecutive title as he lost to Jorge Martin by 10 points. Bagnaia backed himself to win the championship in 2025, but he would be faced with a new bike that would cause him huge problems.

It was known that Ducati’s 2025 engine was not much of an upgrade on its predecessor during winter testing. Subsequently, Ducati chose to stand still and use the 2024 spec, which they will also have to run in 2026 due to the engine freeze.

The Borgo Panigale outfit could afford to do this, as their advantage was so great from last season. But even if they did choose to run the new spec, all of the Ducati riders besides Bagnaia would have been with the decision.

Franco Morbidelli found no differences with Ducati’s 2025 engine amid Francesco Bagnaia’s complaints

In a report from AS, Ducati had ‘thickened’ some parts of the new engine to help improve reliability, which they had faced some problems with last year. Bagnaia ‘doesn’t feel comfortable’ with those changes; a feeling that is not echoed by his fellow riders.

Teammate Marc Marquez ‘has not encountered any setbacks’ with the new engine, having jumped from the GP23 to the GP25 this season. His ability to adapt quickly to any machine has left him dominating MotoGP in 2025, sitting 120 points clear in the riders’ championship.

Marquez was the ‘only reason’ Ducati homologated the GP25 as he was quicker on the bike than Bagnaia. However, it is not just the Spaniard who has found little issue with the machine.

VR46 riders Fabio Di Giannantonio (who is also on the GP25) and Franco Morbidelli (who has last year’s GP24), had the chance to test the new unit.

Both riders ‘found no differences’ on the bike and felt that the ‘step forward in reliability has not changed the character of the engine’. These feelings ‘coincide’ with the other Ducati riders, while Bagnaia has constantly complained about the bike throughout the season.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number

Francesco Bagnaia was ‘really raging’ at Ducati at the start of 2025 – he has now accepted his fate

Many wondered how the Italian would fare against Marquez at the factory Ducati team in 2025, having never ridden against a top rider as his teammate. But nobody would have expected him to be 168 points behind as the season enters the second half.

Bagnaia was ‘really raging’ at Marquez at first and how quick he was on the GP25. But now, he has accepted his fate, in that he cannot catch his teammate on equal machinery.

The Italian is now fighting Alex Marquez for second in the standings, but given the Gresini rider’s form on the GP24 this year, it will be tough for Bagnaia to achieve. The Spaniard’s consistency has been on another level, with the two-time champion often behind him.

Ducati test rider Michelle Pirro feels ‘sorry’ for Bagnaia, claiming that the support he is receiving is ‘not enough’. The 28-year-old will be desperate to see improvements in the final 10 races, but his chances of winning the title are all but over.