Francesco Bagnaia was ‘worried’ about partnering Marc Marquez after what he heard from ex-teammates

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Francesco Bagnaia’s intra-team battle with Marc Marquez at Ducati has clearly been one-sided. But the relationship between the two riders appears to be good.

Marquez sealed the world championship in Japan with five rounds to spare, while Bagnaia is still battling to finish in the top three after a disastrous campaign.

Given that the Italian has been with the factory team since 2021 and won two world championships in red, it would have been easy – if somewhat out of character – for him to react in a hostile manner. Marquez has symbolically taken over his team.

But the intense rivalry that was forecast in the winter hasn’t materialised. It was telling that, when Bagnaia won the race and Marquez clinched the title at Motegi, the former attended the championship celebrations.

Francesco Bagnaia has been positively ‘surprised’ by Marc Marquez

Speaking at a Gazzetta dello Sport event, Bagnaia said he was ‘worried’ about Marquez, who had been described as a thorn in the side of his former teammates.

The Spaniard had partnered his brother Alex at Gresini in 2024. During his Honda days, the only teammate who was able to challenge him was Dani Pedrosa, and even then the gap grew as he gained experience.

Ducati boss Davide Tardozzi says Marquez is far more humble than his critics make out. And Bagnaia was pleasantly ‘surprised’ by his character too.

• READ MORE: Carlos Sainz says MotoGP fans will realise something about Marc Marquez after he retires from MotoGP

As for his on-track performances, Bagnaia graciously admitted that he must ‘learn’ from the 32-year-old, who won almost 70% of the races this year before his recent injury.

“At first I was a little worried; he was always said to be a pain the a–, even for his teammates,” Bagnaia recalled. “And instead, he surprised me.

“Having him as a teammate was very positive. In Japan, we met at a karaoke bar, drinking sake. It was fun. He’s one of the best in history; he’s been dominant in recent years. You can only learn from Marc.” 

Pecco Bagnaia has followed Marc Marquez’s advice, and it might just be a breakthrough

Bagnaia sought advice from Marquez during his lowest moments of the 2025 season. The MotoGP legend told him he needed to ‘reset’.

He did exactly that soon after by reverting to a GP24/25 hybrid. Ducati realised that Bagnaia’s ‘curse’ was this year’s ride-height device, and he looked infinitely more comfortable with the older specification in Japan.

The Indonesian GP looked like a fresh nadir, but Ducati struggled with Michelin’s rear-tyre casing, a safety-related measure for extremely hot races. There’s optimism that Bagnaia will be back on form in Australia.

The Motegi version of Bagnaia is clearly good enough to challenge Marquez on a more consistent basis next year, even if the Spaniard was riding a little cautiously with the title in mind. The next four rounds will indicate whether that masterful performance was an anomaly.