Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia had been Ducati’s number one rider and talent before Marc Marquez emerged on the scene in 2025.
The Italian was the one to bring success back to Borgo Panigale as he won the MotoGP title in 2022 and 2023. It marked the first time a Ducati rider won the championship since Casey Stoner in 2007.
Where did it all go wrong for Francesco Bagnaia in 2025?
A comparison between Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia's 2025 Grand Prix results
Bagnaia is Ducati’s greatest ever rider, but his position as number one within the team has since been handed to Marquez. The Spaniard joined the team from Gresini in search of another title after years of injury setbacks.
His teammate was expected to fight him at the top of MotoGP, but Marquez utterly dominated 2025 with 25 victories, including Sprints, across the season. Bagnaia could only watch as the 32-year-old shot into the distance and he struggled to adapt to the GP25.
Francesco Bagnaia says Marc Marquez puts on a ‘show’ during Ducati celebrations
While the GP25 had few differences from the GP24, which Bagnaia used to win 11 out of 20 races in 2024, he could not get to grips with the bike, particularly in braking.
The 28-year-old won just two races in 2025 and retired from six of the final seven races. It left him finishing in P5 behind Marquez, his brother Alex, Marco Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta.
Francesco Bagnaia will finish … in the MotoGP championship in 2026
Bagnaia expressed frustration towards Ducati over the bike and their methods to solve his problems. He could not keep up with Marquez on equal machinery, beating him only once on pure pace at Motegi.
More often than not, he was left watching his teammate celebrate with Ducati engineers after a dominant victory. Speaking on MotoGP’s documentary, ‘Marc Marquez: All on red’. Bagnaia says his teammate puts on a ‘show’ and is not like his previous teammates.
“Sure, Marc is different compared to me or compared to the riders that I was having before,” he said, “He’s very energetic and when he’s celebrating, he’s giving more of a show.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
What Ducati really thought about Francesco Bagnaia’s 2025 season
Ducati stressed that they were doing everything they could to help Bagnaia find his feeling again on the bike. But even after trying to find solutions, the team were at a loss to explain his struggles.
Davide Tardozzi revealed his true thoughts about Bagnaia on the Marquez documentary. He could not understand what was happening to the Italian, feeling that Ducati had explored all of their options.
His teammate noticed his struggles as well. Marquez felt Bagnaia was overreacting to ‘all the movements’ of the GP25, which ultimately led to his loss of confidence.
The Italian will be praying that the GP26 will bring him a better feeling from the machine, especially as his future could be on the line. Ducati may not extend Bagnaia’s contract beyond 2026.
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