Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez was missing for Ducati at the Australian Grand Prix last weekend, ruled out by the injury he sustained in Indonesia. In his absence, they missed out on a Sprint podium for the first time ever.
Fabio di Giannantonio was the only Ducati on the Grand Prix podium, too, as Aprilia dominated. This may have been coincidental – Marquez himself had struggled at Mandalika – but Francesco Bagnaia believes the world champion would have finished in the top three.
As it turned, the factory team logged a non-score across an entire weekend for the first time since the 2022 Qatar Grand Prix. Bagnaia was a desperate 19th in the Sprint before crashing out of the Grand Prix, while test rider Michele Pirro lapped at the back of the field.
It was a weekend that showed the importance of Marquez to Ducati and, in the words of veteran MotoGP manager Carlo Pernat, the ‘price’ of signing him.
Carlo Pernat says Marc Marquez has already cost Ducati multiple elite riders
Marquez replaced Enea Bastianini, a seven-time premier-class winner, when he moved from Gresini to the Ducati factory team. He also triggered Jorge Martin’s departure, with last year’s world champion smarting from the snub.
Marco Bezzecchi left for similar reasons and has been one of the standout riders of 2025 at Aprilia. Bezzecchi, who took his fourth overall win of the year in last Saturday’s Sprint, has just overtaken Bagnaia for third in the standings.
And Pernat fears that two-time world champion Bagnaia could leave Ducati after being thrashed by the legendary Marquez, who has immediately made the team his own.
On the other hand, Fermin Aldeguer could be MotoGP’s next big thing, while Gresini teammate Alex Marquez has made a leap this year and will almost certainly finish runner-up in the standings.
“What price will Ducati have to pay?” Pernat pondered in an interview with MOW. “Ducati, by signing Marc Marquez, dismantled a project that had been underway for a long time.
“It was the right choice, let’s be clear, because the winner is always right, and Marquez didn’t win; he absolutely ruined the championship.
“So, while I reiterate that it was the right choice for the present, today I wonder what the price will be for the future.
“Jorge Martin has gone elsewhere, Marco Bezzecchi has gone elsewhere, Enea Bastianini has gone elsewhere, and Pecco Bagnaia could go elsewhere if the situation isn’t resolved sooner rather than later. These are all consequences of Marquez’s decision.
“Okay, there’s Fermin Aldeguer, but as talented as his talent is, he’s still a gamble. Alex Marquez? Excellent, but I’m not entirely convinced.”
Why Marc Marquez won’t be able to get his brother a Ducati factory seat
Bagnaia is becoming increasingly distant from Ducati as his crisis worsens. Both parties are becoming entrenched in their positions.
Fundamentally, Bagnaia thinks the bike is the problem, while his team maintain that the onus is on the rider to improve. They can, of course, point to what Marquez has achieved on the GP25.
Should Bagnaia leave, Marquez could advocate for his brother to join him. They have already been teammates at Gresini and Honda.
However, Alex Marquez isn’t seen as a realistic Ducati factory contender right now despite landing a GP26 for next year. A promotion for Aldeguer or a blockbuster swoop for a rider like Fabio Quartararo or Pedro Acosta appears more likely.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
