Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia has met his match, and some, with Marc Marquez as his Ducati teammate, as he now finds himself playing second fiddle.
Many would have expected Marquez to give the Italian a hard time when he joined the Borgo Panigale outfit. After all, he has destroyed every teammate put against him in MotoGP, and he would be riding the best bike on the grid in 2025.
However, many in the paddock would have expected Bagnaia to at least challenge the Spaniard and fight for the title. It has not played out that way at all, with the 28-year-old struggling to beat satellite Ducati riders for most of the season.
Winning just two races compared to Marquez’s 11, Bagnaia sits fourth in the standings and is at risk of slipping to fifth as he faces pressure from Marco Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta. He has not adapted to the GP25, while his teammate has dominated the championship without question.
While Ducati have naturally favoured the Spaniard’s feedback, Bagnaia does not blame Marquez for his struggles. He is simply not getting on with the bike and his team’s solutions, as well as facing the reality of having a phenomenon on the other side of the garage.
Alex Marquez says he ‘came out stronger’ by learning from and observing Marc Marquez – Pecco Bagnaia must copy
Everyone knows that coming up against Marquez, whether it be as a rival or as a teammate, is incredibly difficult. Alex Marquez knows this better than anyone, having trained and raced with his brother throughout their careers.
The Gresini rider was Marc Marquez’s teammate at Honda in 2020 and the aforementioned Ducati satellite team in 2024. Speaking via quotes from Motorsport Espana, Alex Marquez explained that there are two ways to approach being on the other side of the 32-year-old’s garage.
“We’ve seen the best version of me now,” he said. “Every year you get a little better. But you have to keep improving, and it will be interesting to see how far we can go, with the same bike as Marc.
“There are two ways to approach being his teammate: you can be jealous and say, ‘he does this and I’ll get to where he does, because I do it,’ or you can have another philosophy, which is to observe him, what he does best, and learn. That’s why I came out stronger last year [by observing and learning].”
Alex Marquez’s theory is proved by him having his best MotoGP season to date in 2025, confirming the runner-up spot at Sepang. His approach of learning from and observing his brother has gone a long way for him – it is something that Bagnaia should, and must, adopt.
Bagnaia has admitted his ‘weak point’ is not adapting to things he does not like. But with Ducati unlikely to steer away from Marquez’s feedback, he will want to learn from his teammate and how he is extracting the most from the bike.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
Francesco Bagnaia may have to leave Ducati to beat Marc Marquez
With 2025 being nothing short of disastrous for Bagnaia, 2026 will be a pivotal year for the Italian. He will be under pressure to improve his results, especially when Ducati have given him what he wants for his bike.
Bagnaia gave Ducati an ‘ultimatum’ to give him GP24 parts – they obliged, and he won at Motegi, only to crash out from the back of the field in the next two races. A rear tyre puncture at Sepang denied him a podium, only adding to the frustrations.
He will hope that the GP26 will give him a better feeling. However, with Ducati set to build the bike to Marquez’s strengths, the gap between the riders may widen – beating him on equal machinery will be almost impossible.
Ducati have given Bagnaia a deadline to convince them that they should extend his contract beyond 2026. If his form does not improve, a new manufacturer and bike may be the only way for the Italian to return to the front of MotoGP.
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