Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati just enjoyed their best day of the MotoGP season as Marc Marquez wrapped up a seventh premier class title and Francesco Bagnaia returned to form at Motegi.
Nobody expected that Ducati’s two-time champion would be the one dominating the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, but a breakthrough in last week’s Misano test appears to have changed the landscape. Perhaps he still has a small chance of finishing second in the riders’ championship.
On Sunday, nobody looked like challenging Bagnaia, whose only real problem was smoke from the exhaust of his GP25 bike that he wasn’t aware of. Although there are only five races in the MotoGP campaign left, it’s better late than never for a rider who was starting to feel some intense pressure recently.
Bagnaia avoided a repeat of a Ducati ‘disaster’ by deploying what he learned working alongside Casey Stoner at the Misano test a few weeks ago to bolster his chances in Japan. Even Neil Hodgson believes that Marquez looked like Bagnaia in an unexpected role reversal for the weekend. It caught just about everyone by surprise.
READ MORE: MotoGP race result as Francesco Bagnaia wins Japanese Grand Prix but Marc Marquez seals title
Luigi Dall’Igna ‘begged’ the Japanese Grand Prix stewards not to force Francesco Bagnaia to retire
Bagnaia won’t like what Marquez said about ‘the winner’ in Japan, but it’s a true reflection of the weekend’s events. It’s hard for it to be remembered for anything other than the site where Marquez’s comeback was officially complete.
Marc’s brother was unable to outscore him and keep the title fight going for another weekend, but Bagnaia’s revival doesn’t worry Alex Marquez, who might have left the circuit feeling that everything had gone against him. His second place in the standings is under threat from Bagnaia for the first time in 2025.
Although the Italian rider was unaware of the smoke being produced by his bike late on, the problem was worsening, which led Ducati boss Luigi Dall’Igna to have to beg the stewards not to take his rider out of the race, according to the Paddock Pass Podcast’s David Emmett.
“We saw Danny Aldridge down in the garage talking to Luigi Dall’Igna, and Luigi Dall’Igna practically begging Danny to please, you know, don’t meatball him, give him the black and orange flag, which means retire immediately,” he said.
“It didn’t look like the bike was dropping any oil. What it looked like was the oil being burnt, and it was very strange.”
How can Francesco Bagnaia achieve second in the 2025 MotoGP standings?
With five races to go, Bagnaia trails the younger Marquez brother by 66 points in the standings. It means that he must outscore him by at least 13.2 points per weekend on average between now and Valencia.
In Japan, he gained 27 points on the Spaniard, which shows how quickly the tide can turn. That was without Alex retiring from either race, as well.
As long as the gains Bagnaia has made are sustained and he can find a solid level of consistency, second place is a real possibility for him in the closing stages of the season.
MotoGP fans said the same thing about Bagnaia after seeing him win the sprint, and he’s left them with a taste of ‘what if’ about his season, after finding his form so late in the year.
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