Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez has taken control of the Ducati garage away from Francesco Bagnaia since he joined the Italian at the Borgo Panigale team for the 2025 MotoGP season.
Bagnaia had made Ducati his home in recent years, with the 28-year-old delivering the 2022 and 2023 riders’ titles. He also finished second by only 10 points for the 2024 championship. But Marquez is set to be the man who brings the riders’ title back to the factory Ducati crew.
Marquez can win the 2025 MotoGP title in Japan next time out and equal Valentino Rossi as a seven-time premier class champion. The 32-year-old only has to extend his current 182-point lead over his brother, Alex Marquez of Gresini, to win this term’s riders’ title at Motegi.
Bagnaia is already mathematically ruled out of title contention, with the Turin native trailing Marquez by 275 points to sit third in the standings after 16 rounds. He also only has one win so far from the Americas GP, compared to Marquez’s 11 Grand Prix and 14 Sprint Race wins.
Ducati coach tells Francesco Bagnaia to learn from Marc Marquez like Alex Marquez did
Bagnaia is seeking Casey Stoner’s help to support the 28-year-old’s bid to return to his best, having struggled all season at the expense of his confidence. Bagnaia admitted to Marquez that he is “losing more and more confidence”, to Neil Hodgson’s surprise, at the Catalan GP.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
Ducati rider coach Manuel Poggiali even feels Bagnaia must use being Marquez’s teammate to improve. Bagnaia has struggled to adjust to the Ducati GP25 all term, but Marquez offers a valuable asset as proven by the progress that Alex Marquez has made at Gresini this year.
Poggiali told Fanpage: “Having Marc alongside you is definitely an added value. Alex already benefited from the experience last year, sharing the Gresini team.
“It’s clear that having someone like Marc alongside you is never easy. But, at the same time, it should be a stimulus to improve. Having strong riders in the same garage should help you understand each other’s strengths and try to leverage them.
“At Ducati, there’s a general sharing of data, which Dall’Igna wanted right from the start. It’s a working method that pushes everyone to grow.”
Alex Marquez is having his best MotoGP season after being Marc Marquez’s teammate in 2024
Giacomo Agostini would love to see Bagnaia fighting for wins again, as he thinks it would be “great” for MotoGP to see the two-time champion fight Marc Marquez at the front. Bagnaia is even currently on a run of only three podiums in the past 11 Grands Prix, to Marquez’s 11.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Alex Marquez from net worth to career stats
Alex Marquez has also scored five podiums during the same 11-round run that has followed the 29-year-old winning the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez in April. The last 11 rounds also saw Alex Marquez beat Marc to win the Catalan Grand Prix on merit, as he even converted pole.
The 2025 MotoGP season would even still be by far the best campaign of Alex’s career, even without his first and second MotoGP Grand Prix wins. He ranks second in the standings with 330 points, having never previously ranked higher than P8 or earned more than 177 points.
Switching from a Ducati GP23 to a GP24 this year has played a part in Alex Marquez’s rise to outside title contention. But Alex is also using what he learned last term as teammates with Marc at Gresini to position himself as his brother’s main rival and lead Bagnaia by 93 points.
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