Marco Bezzecchi
After excelling in the 2025 MotoGP season as Francesco Bagnaia struggled, Marc Márquez has responded to claims that Ducati have favoured him over his Italian teammate.
Marquez’s results have been of stark contrast to his Ducati counterpart in 2025, following three consecutive seasons of Bagnaia being the leading rider from the factory team.
The Italian rider’s perfect weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix marked the first time that he had beaten Marquez to the chequered flag in a race that both riders finished on-track.
Bagnaia’s only other victory of the season came at the Americas Grand Prix in March, where the Spaniard crashed out from the lead of the race. On the other hand, Marquez has won 25 of the 34 races that have been run this season in a show of sheer dominance from the 32-year-old.
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Marc Marquez issues his verdict on Francesco Bagnaia’s struggles at Ducati in 2025
At the round preceding the Japanese Grand Prix, in San Marino, Marquez looked to have secured his 15th Sprint race victory after taking the lead from Marco Bezzecchi. However, just a few corners later, Marquez crashed out of the race to the amusement of fans at the circuit.
Marquez was also booed at the Italian Grand Prix after winning both races that weekend. Ducati bosses were seen trying to reason with fans who were furious to see the red #93 bike take the chequered flag in first.
Speaking about the incidents with La Gazzetta dello Sport following the championship-clinching race at Motegi, Marquez said, “I don’t want to waste time with them. I try to enjoy my career and give everything I can on the track, the rest doesn’t matter to me.
“These are also the same people who say ‘Ducati didn’t help Pecco’ but they’re just… One year, one rider wins, the next year another wins. That’s the way bikes are, and you have to enjoy them for what they are, for the spectacle they put on.”
His words come after the season-long narrative that Marquez has been favoured by Ducati over Bagnaia, fuelled by the Spaniard’s superiority and the Italian’s struggles. The rumours haven’t been confirmed by anyone from inside the Ducati set-up, nor will they likely ever be.
Why did Valentino Rossi fans boo Marc Marquez in Italy?
Two of the best riders in MotoGP history have been locked into a fiery personal feud since the events of the 2015 MotoGP season, which culminated in Rossi kicking Marquez off his bike at the penultimate round of the season in Malaysia.
Neither rider has shown an interest in rekindling the relationship, and it has been reciprocated by those loyal to the Italian rider in the succeeding years.
Marquez was met with a wave of boos after his Sprint race win at Mugello earlier in the season, leading Ducati personnel to make a personal plea with Italian fans to not boo the rider at the San Marino Grand Prix later in the year.
However, the plea was in vain. Marquez crashed out of the Sprint race at Misano, much to the delight of the Italian fans who roared with cheers and applause after seeing the red #93 bike career into the barriers.
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