Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez has just won his seventh MotoGP title and is already turning his attention to preparations for 2026.
Even though Ducati were dominant for much of the season, their advantage has dwindled slightly as competitors have found ways to add speed. The GP25 hasn’t always been easy to extract pace from, highlighted by Francesco Bagnaia’s struggles.
None of that will matter to Marquez, who backs himself to be fast on a bike even if it isn’t capable of winning. A few times during the current MotoGP season, when the odds were stacked against him, he still found a way to come out on top.
Marquez hasn’t discussed a Ducati contract extension, even though his deal is set to expire at the end of 2026. According to ex-teammate Dani Pedrosa, Marquez is no longer a ‘young man’ and something inside of him has changed for good. It could help him extend his career.
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Davide Tardozzi warns Marc Marquez that Francesco Bagnaia is now his biggest problem
Marquez’s injuries have been an ‘advantage’ at Ducati, helping him to position himself better when on his bike. After failing to win in Japan, he’ll want to return to the top in the final five races of the campaign, while also gathering some important data for next year.
However, his teammate was a big reason why he didn’t win in Motegi. Ducati made a ‘top secret’ change to Bagnaia’s bike, and he appears to have rediscovered his old form. His next step is to prove that he can churn out victories consistently, but it was an encouraging sign for him.
Now team boss Davide Tardozzi views Bagnaia as a ‘really strong’ opponent for Marquez once more, and thinks that he could pose a few problems for him over the final few weekends of the campaign.
“I have told him that well done, that he has fulfilled the objective here, that it was the title more than winning the race,” he told Diario AS.
“There was no more objective than that, and I am convinced that Marc will now try to win all the races, but he has found a strong opponent, because Pecco is really a strong opponent.”
READ MORE: Neil Hodgson just spotted ‘unbelievable’ detail in Francesco Bagnaia’s riding that proves he’s back
How Ducati might now have an extra problem on their hands in 2026
After Bagnaia avoided a repeat Ducati ‘disaster’, he was able to celebrate winning his first race of the season over his teammate on pure merit. He won at COTA, but only after Marquez crashed out from the lead.
By dominating the weekend, including taking pole position and a sprint win, Bagnaia has forced himself back into the title conversation for 2026.
The more momentum he can build now, the more pressure it will put on the new champion to work hard over the winter.
For now, both have found a way to extract pace from the GP25, but with some development, the GP26 could end up being a complete reset, and tilt the balance of things once more.
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