MotoGP’s official website has released a documentary about Marc Marquez’s 2025 title win entitled ‘All on Red’.
One of the themes is the internal dynamic at Ducati, which was initially expected to be frosty. It quickly became clear that Francesco Bagnaia was no match for Marquez on the GP25, creating the ultimate contrast within the garage.
While Marquez eased to the world championship, winning 11 of the 18 Grands Prix he started, Bagnaia entered a tailspin so severe that it tested his relationship with the team and raised serious doubts about his future.
Francesco Bagnaia failed to score points in 18 of his 44 races in 2025.
The drop-off from a rider who had won the 2022 and 2023 world championships before taking the 2024 title fight to the wire was perplexing. Bagnaia simply reported a loss of ‘feeling’, but Ducati couldn’t find a remedy.
Davide Tardozzi told Ducati staff ‘I don’t know what else to do’ about Francesco Bagnaia
In one clip from the documentary, Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi tells one of his colleagues that he ‘doesn’t get’ what’s happening to Bagnaia. He felt he had explored every possible solution.
Bagnaia scored seven podiums in the first 11 races, though Ducati would see that as the bare minimum in the context of Marquez’s dominance. He only finished in the top three once more before the end of the season – a run of form that was previously unthinkable.
That sequence, interrupted only by an inexplicable victory in Japan, saw him slip to fifth in the championship. He was outscored by every single Ducati rider between the Czech GP and the end of the season.
You are Luigi Dall’Igna. Pick your SIX Ducati riders for the 2027 MotoGP season 👇
“It’s a shame what’s happening to Pecco,” Tardozzi remarks in the clip. “I don’t get it anymore. I don’t know what else to do or to tell him.
“He’s gone into a loop that… the other Ducatis are all there. It’s only him.”
Where will Francesco Bagnaia go if he leaves Ducati?
While the rider himself has firmly indicated that he wants to stay, Ducati may not extend Bagnaia’s contract. It’s clear that the events of 2025 caused Tardozzi and the team genuine anguish.
Bagnaia won’t join a satellite team if he does lose his seat, even though he has a close relationship with VR46 boss Valentino Rossi as a graduate of his academy.
Yamaha and Honda are interested in Bagnaia if he does become available, and Aprilia were even linked this week amid uncertainty over Jorge Martin’s future.
Bagnaia’s rider market stock remains intact, then, even if Ducati might be considering other options.
They are likely to delay a decision until at least the end of testing, which will offer a clear picture of his 2026 prospects.
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