Neil Hodgson suspects Marc Marquez is secretly ‘seething’ over what he saw from Pecco Bagnaia at Motegi

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Francesco Bagnaia finally got the better of his championship-leading Ducati teammate at the Japanese Grand Prix Sprint race, taking the chequered flag in first position nearly two seconds ahead of Marc Marquez.

The Sprint race at Motegi marked only the third time in the current premier class campaign that Marquez hasn’t taken the win during Saturday’s race, as well as the first time that Bagnaia has managed to finish ahead of him without any incidents.

It was a reminiscent performance from the two-time MotoGP title winner as Bagnaia led every lap from the start of the race after taking pole position in Saturday morning’s qualifying session.

The Italian rider can take a lot of positives from his win in the shorter format race and repair some of the confidence that he has lost through the ongoing struggles with the GP25 in 2025.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number

Neil Hodgson suspects Marc Marquez is secretly ‘seething’ at Francesco Bagnaia beating him in the Sprint

Marquez entered the Japanese Grand Prix race weekend with the hope of securing his seventh premier class title, eyeing a double race win to be crowned in spectacular fashion.

Speaking during TNT Sports’ coverage of the Sprint race in Japan, commentators Gavin Emmett and Neil Hodgson highlighted what Ducati team boss said regarding Marquez’s approach to the races this weekend, to which Hodgson quickly shared his own theory.

“Marc Marquez is going to take it easy, Neil. He’s just gonna ride and collect the points. That’s what I’ve been told,” Emmett stated, before adding, “I’ve been told it a couple of times this week, and even Davide Tardozzi said it before the race, and myself and Neil looked at each other and just smiled.”

Former MotoGP rider Hodgson offered some insight into the mind of the factory Ducati man, replying, “Do you want to know what’s happening right now?

“Marc Marquez is seething because he’s seeing his teammate just edging away, and he sees Pedro Acosta just edging away. He wants to win this race.”

With the Spaniard taking the chequered flag in second place, Marquez can still clinch the 2025 championship if he fails to be outscored by second-place man in the standings, Alex Marquez.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Ducati from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

How have Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia compared in the Ducati head-to-head battle in 2025?

Marquez’s maiden season with the factory Ducati team has been nothing short of dominant, with the majority of the races where he hasn’t won being due to the Ant of Cervera crashing out in unforced errors.

Including his most recent feat at Motegi, Bagnaia has won just two races this season across all formats, which is in stark contrast to the 25 races that Marquez has taken the chequered flag first in out of 33 opportunities.

There’s no surprise that Marquez holds such a dominant lead in the championship standings, with the nine points claimed in the Sprint stretching the gap at the top to 191 points.

Marquez was seen giving Bagnaia advice in a behind-the-scenes video from the Ducati stable ahead of the last round of racing in San Marino. The 32-year-old may wish he had held his tongue if his counterpart is able to build on his impressive performance on Saturday afternoon.