Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez has been in a class of his own since joining the factory Ducati team for 2025, in a move that is due to yield his seventh MotoGP title in record-breaking style.
The 32-year-old is simply counting down the days until he secures his first premier class title since the 2019 MotoGP season with Honda. Marquez will only need to outscore his brother, Gresini’s Alex Marquez, by three points at the Japanese Grand Prix to win the title at Motegi.
Marc needs to leave Motegi with a 185-point lead over Alex for the Ducati rider to clinch the crown and match Valentino Rossi as a seven-time premier class champion. The Ducati ace’s current 182-point lead over his younger sibling would even be a record title-winning margin.
Honda saw Marc set the record for the biggest margin between the top two in the standings at the end of a season when he won the 2019 title by 151 points over Andrea Dovizioso. The Spaniard also won 12 of the 19 Grands Prix, while scoring 10 poles and securing 18 podiums.
Andrea Dovizioso thinks Marc Marquez has ruined Francesco Bagnaia’s ‘ego’
Marc Marquez has already surpassed his win tally from the 2019 campaign since joining the factory Ducati crew for the 2025 MotoGP season. The Cervera native will head to Motegi on September 26-28 looking to add to his 11 Grand Prix and 14 Sprint wins from just 16 rounds.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
His dominance has also seen Marquez get control of the Ducati team away from Francesco Bagnaia, whose “ego” Dovizioso believes is now ruined. The former Ducati man believes the form that Marquez has enjoyed has been psychologically “devastating” for Bagnaia, as well.
Dovizioso does not think Bagnaia’s long-term issue adapting to Ducati’s 2025 MotoGP bike is the full reason why the 28-year-old trails Marquez by 275 points. Instead, seeing Marquez perform at a level that Bagnaia has not reached this term will be eating away at the Italian.
Dovizioso told Gazzetta dello Sport: “I didn’t experience Valentino during the years he dominated, so I can only talk about Marquez. Marc has put everyone on edge. The more you see what he does, the more discouraged you become.
“I hear a lot about Bagnaia. Regardless of the technical aspect, which only they know, psychologically, it’s devastating when someone is in your situation and manages to do certain things. For a rider whose ego is inevitably sky-high, it becomes counterproductive.”
Marc Marquez is starting to overcome Andrea Dovizioso’s ‘dangerous’ concern
The Japanese GP is the earliest that Marquez can win the 2025 riders’ title, as the Spaniard has not finished off a Grand Prix podium since the Spanish GP back in round five of the 16 held so far. Marquez salvaged P12 at Jerez for his second-worst race after retiring in Austin.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend
Bagnaia won the Americas GP after Marquez crashed in the lead, which remains the Italian’s only win so far this term. The Americas GP and Spanish GP also proved Dovizioso’s fear that Marquez “cannot hold back”, as he pushes the limits knowing he is “strong in every aspect”.
Dovizioso noted: “He’s strong in every aspect, that’s the difficulty. Besides being stronger in some areas, he’s strong in everything. The ‘negative’ side is that he can’t hold back, as he says, and that’s dangerous.
“He’s had a lot of crashes and has been lucky to have very few injuries. He’s good at being physically prepared and having the right mentality, but then you also need luck.”
Marquez is starting to overcome Dovizioso’s “dangerous” concern about his inability to hold back, though. Marc accepted Alex Marquez winning the Catalan GP in round 15 and finished second to his 29-year-old brother in Barcelona, rather than crashing in pursuit of the victory.
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