Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez has been utterly dominant atop Ducati’s factory-spec GP25 this season, but Alex Criville has explained why it is a downgrade to their predecessor, which is still in use.
When the Spaniard’s seat at the factory Ducati outfit was confirmed midway through the 2024 campaign, many thought we would see a hotly contested title fight between Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia.
However, the highly anticipated battle never came to fruition, with the then six-time premier class world champion clinching a seventh at the Japanese Grand Prix last month.
The main factor behind Bagnaia’s struggles to replicate the results of his teammate has been down to the sensitive nature with which GP25 must be ridden.
Receiving full factory support from Ducati at satellite outfit VR46 Racing, Fabio Di Giannantonio has suffered from the same issues as Bagnaia throughout the campaign.
READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia has revealed something ‘new’ about the mistake that Ducati have made with his bike
The performances of Pecco Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio show that Ducati have taken a ‘step backwards’ in MotoGP
Speaking on a post-race review episode of the MotoGP podcast Dura La Vita, former Grand Prix motorcycle rider Alex Criville highlighted the performances of Bagnaia and Di Giannantonio during the current campaign in his verdict on the competitiveness of the GP25.
He said: “You know how many times I’ve been asked… ‘What’s wrong with Pecco?’ We all thought he was the one who was going to beat Marc, but last year Martin beat him. Nothing’s wrong with Pecco; he’s doing what he can.
“Whoever they put Marc as their teammate… I think Pecco is clear about what he needs to do after this season. It’s clear that being close to Marc is complicated, but what rider could replace Pecco and do well alongside Marc?
“I think Marc won the world championship without having the best bike. He won with the 25, and it’s been proven that the 24 is better.
“What did the others do with Marc’s bike? Di Giannantonio or Pecco? As Doohan said, if a bike works well, it works for everyone.
“That one didn’t work well for everyone. Marc made it win, but it wasn’t an evolution; they took a step backwards.”
The fact that there will be more factory-spec Ducati bikes in 2026 gives Francesco Bagnaia ‘hope’
With news that Alex Marquez will be receiving a factory bike from Ducati in the 2026 premier class campaign, it means that there will be four GP26s on the grid next season, with Fabio Di Giannantonio continuing to receive full factory support as well.
The news was music to Bagnaia’s ears, with the Italian rider admitting that he ‘hopes’ an extra dataset of performance benchmarks from another rider throughout the term will aid him with any woes he continues to experience.
The upcoming campaign could prove to be quite a decisive one for the future of the 28-year-old at the Borgo Panigale-based outfit.
He has come under increasing pressure at Ducati over the status of being a factory rider for the squad, and with Bagnaia’s contract expiring at the end of 2026, it’s not certain that they will renew it off the back of a current campaign that has been marred by struggles.
Only time will tell if the two-time world champion will continue to race in the famous red overalls of the Ducati factory outfit beyond next season.
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