Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez’s ability to deliver consistently strong results in MotoGP is unlike any rider who has come before him, but Franco Morbidelli has highlighted one thing that has hindered Ducati’s riders in 2025 that even the Spaniard isn’t immune to.
Marquez returned to world-beating form this season, in his debut year with the factory Ducati team. Arriving in Borgo Panigale as the latest rider to pair with Francesco Bagnaia, the now seven-time world champion immediately stamped his authority on the team.
MotoGP fans were certain that we would get an intense title fight between Marquez and Bagnaia, but the feud never came to fruition due to the struggles that the latter has experienced with Ducati’s factory spec bike for the current term.
Having jumped straight from the GP23 in 2024 to the GP25 this year, the issues that his Italian counterpart experienced were non-existent in the form of Marquez. The current generation of machinery seemed to have suited the riding style of Marquez to a T.
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Franco Morbidelli recalls moments in Marc Marquez’s career that show he’s not immune to ‘big problems’
Part of the enigma surrounding Marquez’s success in 2025 relates to his ability to adapt to the GP25 much more harmoniously than Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio, who has also received factory support from Ducati in 2025.
Di Giannantonio’s teammate at VR46, Franco Morbidelli, believes that the 32-year-old’s feats on the bike highlight the fact that there aren’t as many problems with the bike as it has been made out to be by Bagnaia.
Speaking about it during his Thursday afternoon media duties ahead of the final round of the 2025 MotoGP season in Valencia, the Italian rider said, via GPOne, ” When he rode the Honda in 2021 and 2022, Honda had problems; however, he couldn’t mask them.
“He won at Misano, but I also remember 15th places. If there are big problems on the bike, we have also seen Marc Marquez struggle, and he’s a rider of a very high level, if not above everyone, right now.
“Maybe some problems are there, but [not that big]. Has elevating performance further made the bike more critical for most riders? It may be. It’s an interesting point of view.”
Bagnaia has stumped Ducati engineers with his various issues throughout the year, as evidenced by the drop-off in results from the previous season when he challenged for the title.
His future at the Italian constructor has been thrown into question due to this. With Marquez showcasing how dominant the GP25 is, it’s natural for teams to look elsewhere for a rider who may be more capable of emulating the Spaniard’s success.
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Franco Morbidelli also believes there has been ‘too much drama’ surrounding Ducati’s MotoGP bikes in 2025
In Morbidelli’s verdict on whether he will stick with his current spec of bike next season or move up to the GP25, which will then be available to him, the 30-year-old disclosed his real feelings regarding the publicity that surrounds Ducati’s challengers.
He said, “I think I will ride the GP25, but if you want to know for sure, you will have to go down to the pit lane and have a look.
“This is the last race, and we can talk more openly – I think there has been too much drama this year about the GP24 and GP25. The Ducati one is a very good package that works very well. Whether the bike is a 24, 25, 26, 23 or 21, they’ve all worked well since 2020.
“I am not in a position to say that because I have not tried the 2025 bike, however, I have seen the performance of riders who have tried both and have changed their minds several times about this specification because of some doubts.
“We have seen both the GP24 and GP25 struggle, and if I have to make a clear analysis, the 2025 bike has struggled much less than the 2024 bike because we have seen Marc Marquez, who was riding a GP25, finish in first or second position pretty much all year.
“He struggled much less than anyone else, as he only struggled in Indonesia.”
Marquez’s appearance in Indonesia was the final ride of his maiden title-winning campaign with Ducati after he suffered a broken collarbone in the Grand Prix.
Despite that, the Spaniard was off the pace during the Sprint on the day prior, only managing to finish sixth as Marco Bezzecchi went on to take the victory in Mandalika.
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