Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez was the only rider atop the GP25 who was able to record consistently strong results in 2025, and Oscar Haro thinks Ducati have now realised why Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio were unable to replicate his feats.
The Spaniard was the only rider with factory status from Ducati to record more than two Grand Prix wins during the 2025 MotoGP season.
Even Alex Marquez, who rode the Italian constructor’s previous spec of bike, managed to record more victories than his brother’s factory counterpart, Francesco Bagnaia, which indicates a serious issue with the direction that Ducati took in the development of the GP25.
It recently emerged that Ducati would force Marc Marquez into making development decisions regarding their 2026 bike, despite the fact that he delegated them to his Italian teammate.
However, according to the former sporting director of LCR Honda, Oscar Haro, Borgo Panigale have now realised that it may be the wrong path to take.
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Oscar Haro details how Ducati now ‘realise’ that they gave Marc Marquez too much influence over the GP25
In a recent interview with journalist Nico Abad, Haro recalled working with Marquez during his highly successful stint at the factory Honda team at the start of his career.
The Spaniard noted how his development input actually harmed the performances of the other riders within the Japanese constructor’s stable, saying via Todo Circuito, “I believe Ducati has realised that Marc’s approach to developing the bike isn’t the right one.
“It’s what happened to us at Honda with Marc. He’s a rider who’s so far above the rest, and especially so far above the minor shortcomings that bike might have, that he masks them.
“Even Gigi Dall’Igna has said this. Marc is a guy who helps you develop the bike because things that don’t work for a normal rider, he makes them work.
“This is good for him, but for the development of the other bikes, it’s not so positive, because the other riders can’t reach that level.”
Luca Marini also disclosed how Honda’s reliance on Marquez during his final years at the team harmed the calibre of their bike in more recent years.
The Italian rider noted how Honda ‘lost their way’ on the technical side of things, due to the fact that Marquez would often overachieve atop sub-optimal machinery.
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The former LCR boss also highlighted how Alex Marquez’s factory status in 2025 makes ‘perfect sense’ for Ducati
An extra factory Ducati bike will be fielded next season at the hands of Marc’s younger brother, Alex.
The 29-year-old was rewarded for his impressive campaign in 2025, where he finished second and marked the best season-long performance in the premier class of his career thus far.
Haro believes the decision to hand the satellite rider factory status was made to combat the seven-time world champion’s feedback.
He said, “It makes perfect sense to me that Alex is the person they said, ‘We want someone who knows what he’s doing and who is very precise in fine-tuning the bike.’
“I’ve worked with him, and he’s a very precise guy. If Ducati is smart, it will follow that path, that is, one path for Marc and another for the other riders who aren’t Marc Marquez and who have a different way of developing the bikes.”
Alex is tipped to be Marc’s main title rival in 2026 due to both Marquez brothers now being on equal machinery.
If the Gresini rider is able to steal the championship away from his brother, it will mark the first time for a pair of siblings to have each claimed a world title in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
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