Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia made a return to the top step of the podium in MotoGP as he claimed victory at Motegi. He may have Casey Stoner to thank for his success.
All the attention at the Japanese Grand Prix was on the Italian’s teammate, Marc Marquez, who had his first ‘match point’ for the 2025 title. Sure enough, he sealed the championship by finishing P2 in the Sprint and main race, but he could not get the better of Bagnaia.
Motegi is the first time the 28-year-old has outright beaten Marquez on pure performance in 2025. Bagnaia took pole position and claimed victory in the Sprint and the Grand Prix in dominant fashion.
The two-time MotoGP champion overcame a scare on Sunday as his GP25 released plumes of smoke from the exhaust. But his bike did not give in, nor did the stewards force him to retire, as he cruised to the win.
Bagnaia looked comfortable on his Desmosedici after Ducati made significant changes to improve the machine. He has not had any feeling on the bike all year, and the Borgo Panigale outfit may not have made alterations if not for Stoner.
Ducati ‘were not listening’ to Manuel Poggiali about Francesco Bagnaia’s bike shaking until Casey Stoner said he was right
Luigi Dall’Igna said Ducati were losing patience with Bagnaia over his disappointing results in 2025. The team looked to find solutions at the Misano test, with MotoGP legend Stoner sitting in his garage and providing feedback.
After the test, Bagnaia said Ducati had done something ‘never’ seen before with his bike, but did not disclose what had changed. Bagnaia was the ‘only rider’ with a smaller fork at Motegi, and it seemed to do the trick as he collected maximum points.
The changes came after Bagnaia’s coach Manuel Poggiali reported that his bike was shaking during the Misano test. Journalist David Emmett said Ducati turned a blind eye to the problem until Stoner noticed the same issue and intervened.
“It was also very interesting that he kept on mentioning Manuel Poggiali, because, obviously, there’s been all this talk about, has Casey helped?” he said via the Paddock Pass Podcast.
“But it sounds Poggiali’s been saying this all the time and Ducati just were not listening to him. And it took Casey Stoner to say: ‘No, no, no, Poggiali is right. He’s saying the right things’.
“For them to sort of accept it, and also possibly just sheer desperation, they gave him what he wanted. And it worked.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
Has Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati revival come too late?
Bagnaia’s win at Motegi is a much-needed confidence boost, having looked despondent in recent weekends. The Italian had not finished in the top five since MotoGP returned from the summer break.
Japan was just the weekend he needed, but it will not give him any chance to mount a challenge for the title, with Marquez wrapping it up. He will now be focused on finishing P2, but Alex Marquez is not worried about Bagnaia’s revival as he sits 66 points ahead of him.
Bagnaia fumed over Stoner not being there more often to help him in 2025. The Aussie looked like he gave him the pointers he needed to improve the bike, something he had desperately searched for all season.
The fact that it has taken Ducati until the 17th race of the season to make these changes has left supporters angered. Fans feel Ducati ‘robbed’ Bagnaia of a title fight with Marquez, as Motegi proved that he can beat him with the right setup.
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