Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati had quite the turbulent weekend at the Indonesian Grand Prix as Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia had difficult races for different reasons.
Marquez was not in the same form that he had displayed all season to win the title. He qualified ninth and finished sixth in the Sprint after serving a long-lap penalty for a collision with Alex Rins.
In the Indonesian GP, Marco Bezzecchi took out Marquez in a high-speed crash at turn seven. The Ducati rider landed on his right shoulder in the gravel trap, fracturing ligaments in his collarbone and ruling him out for the next two races.
Bagnaia came into Mandalika off the back of a double win from pole position at Motegi. He seemed to have found his groove on the GP25, as Bagnaia tested GP24 parts at Misano and had them on his bike in Japan and Indonesia.
But the Italian went back to suffering on his machine at Mandalika as he qualified 16th and finished last on the road in the Sprint. Bagnaia crashed out in the main race, having run last again, prompting speculation around his Ducati.
Luigi Dall’Igna made private ‘phone call’ to journalists to stop ‘stupid’ rumours about Marc Marquez having a GP24
The nature of the GP25 has become a contentious topic in the past week. Ducati took a vow of silence over any changes to Bagnaia’s bike, with many believing that he tested Franco Morbidelli’s GP24 at Misano and ran the machine at Motegi – both of which were proved false.
Marquez has adapted to the GP25 much better than Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio, winning 25 races across the year thus far. There were even rumours that the Spaniard has been riding the GP24, which won 16 out of 20 races in 2024.
But Luigi Dall’Igna was quick to shut that down. Journalist Julian Ryder said via Racing Back that the Ducati chief privately called journalists to stop the ‘stupid’ rumours.
“That heat-treated tyre, that goes to a couple of tracks, it goes to Thailand as well, doesn’t it? Obviously, he did not get on with [it], couldn’t feel it at all,” he said about Bagnaia’s weekend.
“But there was an interesting little phone call, apparently just before the race in Indonesia. Three or four eminent, veteran journalists were called to Gigi.
“And Gigi was sort of trying to stop the more stupid internet rumours about Ducati have given Marquez a GP24 bike. He hasn’t got any ’24 engines in his allocation, but facts like that don’t bother people, do they?
“Gigi is also a man who I’ve heard [and] watched, smiled thinly and say to us: ‘But we also tell lies.”
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Michele Pirro will stand in for Marc Marquez at Phillip Island, but do they have other options?
Marquez will miss the races at Phillip Island and Sepang due to his collarbone injury. Surgery is not required for the 32-year-old, allowing him to rest and recover for a potential return.
The Ant of Cervera does not need to rush back to action as he has already wrapped up the 2025 title. He can look ahead to 2026, where he will look to grab his 10th motorcycle Grand Prix championship and eighth premier class title.
Ducati test rider Michele Pirro will replace Marquez in Australia in what will be his 70th race in MotoGP. He is not confirmed, however, for the following race in Malaysia.
WSBK rider Nicolo Bulega will not replace Marquez as he believes a one-off appearance will not be ‘useful’ to him. The Italian will become a Ducati MotoGP test rider in 2026 as Bulega eyes a full-time seat in 2027.
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