Francesco Bagnaia shares whether Marc Marquez’s arrival is partly to blame for his Ducati crisis

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Francesco Bagnaia has certainly met his match with Marc Marquez at Ducati in 2025, with the Spaniard dominating him throughout the season.

Bagnaia was ‘worried’ about Marquez before he arrived at Ducati. The Ant of Cervera has dominated every teammate he has come up against, and it has been no different in 2025.

While the Desmosedici GP25 is a slight downgrade from the GP24, Marquez has adapted seamlessly and has been unstoppable in 2025. Winning 25 races, including Sprints, he wrapped up his seventh premier class title at Motegi.

It has been an entirely different story on the other side of the Ducati garage. Bagnaia is utterly frustrated with the Borgo Panigale outfit as he struggles to find any feeling from the bike.

Francesco Bagnaia says Marc Marquez’s arrival has not affected his Ducati crisis

Bagnaia has been consistently beaten by the GP24 riders this season, with the GP25 not suiting his riding style. Ducati introduced last year’s spec parts to his bike at Motegi, which guided him to a double victory.

But with the same machine, he failed to score points at Mandalika and Phillip Island, with his bike constantly shaking down the main straights. Jorge Lorenzo could not believe how much Bagnaia’s bike was moving, having rarely seen the issue in his career.

Bagnaia has complained about the bike all season, but he is at a loss to explain why he cannot perform on it. Meanwhile, Marquez has proven that it is a competitive machine, winning the title in commanding fashion.

Bagnaia was asked by Sky Italy at the Malaysian Grand Prix whether Marquez’s arrival is partly to blame for his struggles. However, he says that he is having issues whether he is on the bike or not, with Marquez out injured for the rest of 2025.

“I can say what I want, but people can believe it or not. I was having trouble before when he was on the track, I’m having trouble now that Marc is home. Honestly, the problems are different,” he said.

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

Francesco Bagnaia hopes to find feeling at Sepang with new Ducati set-up

There is friction between Bagnaia and Ducati’s top management over his results and his complaints with the bike. The manufacturer have given him the parts he wanted, but even there, he is still struggling to perform.

Heading into Sepang, the Italian is under pressure to finish P3 in the standings, with Marco Bezzecchi leapfrogging him in Australia. He is now faced with the prospect of losing P4, with Pedro Acosta sitting 41 points behind him.

Ducati will give Bagnaia his setup from winter testing to try and give him some more feeling from the bike. He appeared somewhat comfortable on the machine at Sepang back in February.

It did not have much effect in terms of results, however, as Bagnaia will have to go through Q1 on Saturday. But despite this, the 28-year-old felt happier on the bike and hopes to put his GP25 into a strong position on the grid.