Marco Bezzecchi
One of the ongoing narratives during the 2025 MotoGP season was that of Ducati’s factory spec GP25, and Mat Oxley has shared a piece of data that concludes just how far the Italian constructor regressed after 2024.
One could be forgiven for thinking the GP25 was a step up from the GP24 after Marc Marquez’s sheer dominance atop the 2025-spec factory bike, but the struggles of Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio can’t be erased.
After missing out on the 2024 title by just 10 points in a season where he stood on the top step of the podium 18 times across both formats, Bagnaia struggled immensely during the 2025 term.
Now, his future at the Borgo Panigale-based factory outfit has been thrown into question. If he’s unable to evenly match up against Marquez next year, he could very well find himself racing somewhere else on the grid in 2027.
Marquez’s results certainly helped Ducati’s faith in the GP25, but when compared to last year’s race times, it’s difficult to accept that it is a step up from its predecessor.
- READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia must return to his once ‘really angry’ state to save his Ducati seat in 2026
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Mat Oxley shares the piece of data that shows just how far Ducati regressed with their GP25
In a recent episode of the Oxley Bom MotoGP podcast, former motorcycle racer Mat Oxley shared some data he had collated that showed exactly how much of a backwards step the GP25 was compared to its predecessor, the GP24.
The British journalist said, “I went through all the races from 2024 to 2025; there are 11 where you can make back-to-back comparisons.
“There are some where you can’t because races were one lap shorter, or sometimes where the weather wasn’t the same. There were 11 races where the conditions were the same.
“Six of those, the winner was slower than he was in 2024. And obviously, that winner was usually Marquez. He was beating everybody, but he was slower.
“Three were faster, and two were the same. After this massive jump forward in 2024, you actually had a step back, which exactly fits the narrative that the GP25 wasn’t as good as the GP24.
“Interestingly, at Motegi, the only place where Bagnaia won in both ’24 and ’25, his race time was exactly the same, exactly the same to the second.
“They were slower at Barcelona, they were slower at Mugello, they were slower at Assen, and they were slower at the Sachsenring. These are all places where Marquez was winning.”
Interestingly, Bagnaia’s resurgence at Motegi came after he swapped out some parts on the GP25 in favour of those on the GP24.
The Italian rider was perfect all weekend, clinching pole position, the Sprint race win and Grand Prix victory, all without conceding the lead at any point.
- READ MORE: Massimo Rivola tells Francesco Bagnaia the one thing he needs to ‘rebuild himself’ at Ducati
Change our minds: Francesco Bagnaia will not fight for the championship in 2026
Ducati have some big decisions to make ahead of the upcoming MotoGP campaign
Given the emergence of Aprilia as a genuine threat to Ducati’s chokehold on the premier class in the latter half of the 2025 season, Borgo Panigale will need to make sure their new spec of factory bike is capable of giving their riders an equal opportunity of securing Grand Prix victories.
Marquez reportedly delegated some development decisions for 2026 to Bagnaia, but the Italian constructor is understood to have put a stop to it in order to ensure that the Spaniard is also happy with the direction that they are currently taking.
Marco Bezzecchi rounded out the year with two victories in the Grand Prix format, which secured his standing in third place in the riders’ championship.
Granted, Marquez was recovering from a broken collarbone that he had sustained in Indonesia, but even still, Alex Marquez was unable to replicate his Sprint race form in the Grands Prix, where the points matter most.
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