Alex Marquez wants to face a truly ‘competitive’ Francesco Bagnaia in his first year on a factory Ducati

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Alex Marquez will be rewarded with a factory Ducati bike in 2026, putting him on equal terms with Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia.

Many expected Bagnaia to challenge Marc Marquez for the MotoGP title in 2025. However, much to most people’s surprise, it was his brother who was his closest challenger, while his Ducati teammate struggled to adapt to the GP25.

Riding the GP24, Alex Marquez claimed three wins – his first victories in the premier class – and 12 podiums. The Gresini rider finished runner-up to his brother in the standings, while Bagnaia languished in fifth behind Marco Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta.

The GP25, while minimally different to its predecessor, gave the Italian no feeling from the front end and in braking. This severely damaged his confidence, with Dani Pedrosa saying Alex Marquez had the mental resilience to battle for P2 in the championship.

Alex Marquez hopes to fight a ‘competitive’ Francesco Bagnaia on the GP26 next season

The 2026 season presents a fresh start for both riders. Marquez will have a factory bike next year, while Bagnaia will hope that the GP26 will give him a much better feeling than the GP25.

Ducati will want to see improvements from the two-time MotoGP champion, and Marquez feels the same way. Speaking via the BENZINE // Cosimo Curatola YouTube channel, he says he is the ‘first one’ who wants Bagnaia to be competitive in 2026.

He said: “He has many years of experience fighting for a world championship. There’s a point where if you don’t know how to disconnect a little bit and let go of everything, you can also get stuck mentally, with very high efficiency, right?

“That in the end, yes, the body and the mind can say, enough. I don’t know, he knows what really happens, and Ducati too. And for the championship, the first one who wants to see Pecco competitive is me.

“But he’s already competitive, but it’s true that he’s less consistent than in other years. But he has the speed, so he hasn’t forgotten how to ride a bike and go fast.”

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Could Alex Marquez help Francesco Bagnaia in 2026?

Marquez having equal machinery to Bagnaia in 2026 could be seen as a threat. However, it is also an opportunity to improve the bike, and subsequently, the Italian’s performance.

With four factory Ducatis on the grid in 2026 (Marquez brothers, Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio), the team have another voice in the garage to provide feedback and suggest upgrades to improve.

Bagnaia hopes Marquez’s factory bike will help him for that exact reason. It is another rider that he can assess closely to find ways to improve his riding on the GP26.

It is early days, but at the moment, Bagnaia agrees with the Marquez brothers about the bike, in that the current foundation is a good start. He felt more comfortable on the GP26 in testing at Valencia, and he will want to carry that into the winter break.