Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez is counting down the days until the Spaniard is crowned a seven-time MotoGP champion, yet he has shared a concern for Ducati at the Catalan Grand Prix.
The 32-year-old could claim his first match point for the 2025 riders’ title heading to Misano for the San Marino Grand Prix next week with a strong showing in Barcelona. Marc Marquez will only have to leave Misano holding a 222-point lead over Alex Marquez to clinch the title.
Ducati rider Marquez currently leads his Gresini star brother Alex by 175 points ahead of the Barcelona Sprint and Catalan GP. But KTM duo Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta could present a challenge at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after they set the pace in Friday’s practice.
Binder set a new lap record for the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to top the pre-qualifying practice timesheet with a 1:38.141. Acosta made it a factory KTM one-two, with a deficit of 0.104s to the South African, with Alex (+0.139s) and Marc Marquez (+0.224s) in P3 and P4.
Marc Marquez thinks KTM rider Brad Binder proved Ducati’s ‘difficult’ task to improve
Binder setting the pace in pre-qualifying practice for the Catalan GP also convinced Marquez that KTM have proven the “difficult” challenge Ducati now have to maintain their advantage. It is a clear indication of the limited further growth the Borgo Panigale natives may now find.
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While Marc Marquez on his Desmosedici GP25 and Alex on a GP24 showed Ducati’s threat, seven of the top 10 riders in practice ride for their rival brands. The Bologna Bullets also saw Francesco Bagnaia finish P21 in pre-qualifying practice in Barcelona, with a deficit of 1.029s.
Marquez said, via Motorsport.com: “When you have a really good bike, it’s very difficult to improve it. And that’s what’s happening. For me, [the] Ducati is still the best bike.”
Along with the Marquez brothers, VR46 pilot Franco Morbidelli on a Desmosedici GP24 was the only other Ducati rider in the top 10 during pre-qualifying practice in P7 with a deficit of 0.370s to Binder. VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio was the second-best rider on a GP25 in P17.
Pedro Acosta expects Alex and Marc Marquez to threaten KTM at the Catalan Grand Prix
KTM riders Binder and Acosta made full use of the Austrian outfit taking a new fairing to the Catalan GP to set the pace during pre-qualifying practice in Barcelona this Friday. But Acosta still expects Ducati’s Marc Marquez and Gresini’s Alex Marquez to be threats when it counts.
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“The new fairing also works well in fast corners,” Acosta said, via Motorsport.com. “[But] we shouldn’t set our expectations too high because both Marc and Alex have been moving very fast. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’ve taken a step forward.”
KTM will especially be pleased with their early pace in Barcelona on Friday, after Tech3 rider Enea Bastianini also sealed P6 in pre-qualifying practice for the Catalan GP aboard his RC16. Aprilia racer Marco Bezzecchi finished P5 as the only non-KTM or Ducati rider in the top six.
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