Alex Marquez has now changed his mind about Francesco Bagnaia after what he saw at the San Marino Grand Prix

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Francesco Bagnaia failed to score a point during the San Marino Grand Prix weekend. Alex Marquez may have overestimated the threat he faced from the Ducati factory rider.

Unlike in Hungary and Barcelona, Bagnaia had enough single-lap pace to reach Q3. But he regressed in race trim, slipping to 13th in the Sprint and crashing rather innocuously out of the Grand Prix.

It’s the second time this season Bagnaia has blanked, having finished 16th at a rain-affected French GP after a crash in the Sprint. He’s very nearly relinquished his grip on third in the standings.

Marco Bezzecchi, who won the Sprint last Saturday and finished runner-up behind Marc Marquez in the main race, has now closed the gap to just eight points. One suspects that the position will change hands at Motegi.

Alex Marquez says Marco Bezzecchi is now a bigger threat than Francesco Bagnaia for P2

Speaking at Balaton Park at the end of last month, Alex Marquez said, via Crash, that Bagnaia was the main challenger for second place in the standings. At that stage, the two-time world champion was still 31 ahead of Bezzecchi.

But on form, Bezzecchi is arguably the second-best rider on the grid right now after Marc Marquez. Bagnaia’s position in that ranking would make for grim reading.

Bezzecchi remains 101 points behind the younger Marquez brother with six rounds to go. But he’s shown the pace to win multiple races before the end of the season, so a couple of DNFs for the Gresini rider could create some jeopardy.

“Not just Pecco, I think Bezzecchi is the most dangerous for our runner-up position,” Marquez told DAZN. “We have to keep pushing. All the learning we gain in the upcoming races will be important next year.

“I say Bezzecchi because he’s in better shape. If you look at the latest results, ‘Bez’ is much closer, but both of them will be dangerous. We have to continue on our path and give our all.”

Marquez Jr is riding a GP24, while Bagnaia is on the latest equipment. This may seem like a disadvantage on paper, but some believe last year’s Ducati remains the best bike in MotoGP.

Pecco Bagnaia’s eye-opening reaction to crashing at Misano

Bagnaia has received assistance from Casey Stoner as he pursues a lasting solution to his 2025 crisis. There have been a multitude of false dawns this year, including Friday’s practice sessions.

Stoner and Bagnaia are the only riders to win a MotoGP title for Ducati, though that’s about to change. Team management remain committed to the #63, rather than looking for a replacement.

Bagnaia hasn’t been able to push flat-out on his GP25 because he hasn’t had the confidence. When he can find the limit again consistently, he should be able to start scoring regular podiums.

On that basis, Bagnaia says Ducati were strangely happy with his Misano crash. It showed that he was being aggressive, and it didn’t cost him a significant number of points.