Casey Stoner explains why Francesco Bagnaia will ‘benefit’ from Marc Marquez’s presence despite Ducati struggles

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Casey Stoner never had the opportunity to go up against Marc Marquez. Stoner abruptly retired from MotoGP at the end of the 2012 season.

Marquez replaced the Australian at the Honda factory team, a truly legendary passing of the baton. He went on to become champion as a rookie and win six titles in seven years.

Marquez wishes he could have studied Stoner and his riding style up close. The admiration between the two is mutual, even if they never went head-to-head.

Speaking to Sky Italy at the Austrian Grand Prix, Stoner issued his verdict on Marquez’s 2025 performances. He also offered some consoling words for Francesco Bagnaia, his Ducati teammate who’s been rather left in the dust.

Bagnaia is a two-time MotoGP world champion, but he’s lost his confidence on the bike this year. He’s watched his teammate win eight races to his one and score 168 more points prior to the summer break.

Casey Stoner insists Francesco Bagnaia will be learning from Marc Marquez

Stoner believes that this year’s version of Marquez is the best ever. He’s looking to complete his comeback story after four injury-disrupted seasons between 2020 and 2023.

Marquez could break his own record for wins in a season if he wins six of the remaining 10 races. He set the current benchmark (13) during his sophomore year and then came close in 2019 (12).

Stoner says Bagnaia isn’t necessarily to blame for the deficit because ‘Marc creates this problem for everyone’. He thrashed Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo in his final fully-fit seasons at Honda.

• READ MORE: How Jorge Martin responded when asked if Marc Marquez is on the ‘same level’ as Valentino Rossi

“I didn’t think Marc would be this fast,” said Stoner, the 2007 world champion at Ducati. “We’ve seen the change he’s had with the move to Ducati, and he’s gaining confidence in his bike race after race. He’s always been impressive, but I think this is his best season yet.”

“It’s not easy having someone on your team who arrives and finds a way to go faster than you. I think Marquez creates this problem for everyone. But I think it’s also a benefit for Pecco to be in the same garage as the Spaniard and have the opportunity to learn from him.”

Davide Tardozzi shares what Pecco Bagnaia needs to do at the Austrian Grand Prix

In an interview with the same publication, Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi said Bagnaia has offered occasional reminders that he’s a ‘champion’.

The 28-year-old capitalised on an error from Marquez to score his first pole position at Brno last time out. Ducati still need to ‘find the right balance’ so he can deliver that form consistently, but they also expect their rider to ‘adapt’.

“Pecco shows what a champion he is when he wants to,” Tardozzi said. “We need to find the right balance right now. I think he needs to adapt to our bike here in Austria.”

Bagnaia says Ducati’s GP25 doesn’t suit his riding style, and that every experiment so far has failed. But he remains committed to finding a compromise that could see him end the year on a more encouraging note.