Ducati reveal whether Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia will face restrictions if they start battling on track

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After Francesco Bagnaia looked to have found the solution to his 2025 with Ducati at the Japanese Grand Prix, Ducati chief Davide Tardozzi has revealed whether he will face any restrictions in battling Marc Marquez on track for the remainder of the season.

The Italian rider heads into the race weekend at Mandalika high on confidence after his wins in Japan, which marked a stark turnaround as he delivered a perfect weekend with a pole position, Sprint race win and Grand Prix victory at Motegi.

Bagnaia returned to parts of the GP24 in his quest to restore his form from previous years, utilising Franco Morbidelli’s older spec Ducati bike at the Misano tests to pinpoint exactly where he is losing time atop the factory spec GP25.

Ducati fitted last year’s swingarm and fork to Bagnaia’s bike, which proved to be the ingredients he was missing to replicate his 2024 form.

The 28-year-old won 11 Grands Prix last season, a stark contrast to the one win he had to his name prior to the race weekend in Motegi.

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

Davide Tardozzi is expecting Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia to decide who is faster on track

When Marquez’s move to the factory Ducati outfit was announced midway through last season, many thought the battle between Bagnaia and Marquez would be a dramatic title fight.

However, the contest proved to be extremely one-sided, with Marquez winning 74% of all races on his way to a seventh premier class title.

Now that Bagnaia has moved himself up into contention for race wins after his feats in Japan, Ducati boss Davide Tardozzi has revealed whether the two riders will face any restrictions in their on-track battles.

“It’s clear that we believe we have the strongest team in the championship with Pecco and Marc,” Tardozzi told GPOne in the Indonesian paddock.

“So we expect there will be some competition between the two riders, which is great for the show and for everyone watching. After that, it will be up to them on track to decide who is faster.”

The intra-team battle could make the final five rounds of the season a lot more interesting than first thought after Marquez secured the title.

Trailing Bagnaia for the entirety of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, Neil Hodgson believes Marquez was “seething” as he watched his Ducati counterpart speed off into the distance.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend

Francesco Bagnaia could make a challenge for second place in the MotoGP drivers’ standings in the final five rounds

Sitting 66 points behind Alex Marquez in the second-place spot of the riders’ standings, it’s possible for Bagnaia to make a late push to leapfrog the Spaniard in the final five rounds of the season.

It’s quite the deficit with limited opportunities left, which is one of the reasons why Alex isn’t worried about Bagnaia’s revival at Motegi. The Italian rider will need a lot of results to swing in his favour for the feat to be possible.

Despite being the older brother to the Gresini rider, Marc has ruled out aiding Alex in his battle with Bagnaia as the Ant of Cervera believes that his younger sibling is more than capable of stamping his authority over the factory rider on his own.

The streets of Mandalika have proved to be a difficult circuit for the 29-year-old, securing just one points finish, in 13th, at the track in three previous appearances.

Bagnaia, on the other hand, has two podium finishes to his name in the last three races, including one Grand Prix victory in 2023.