Marc Marquez speaks openly about his teammate Francesco Bagnaia’s slump in form—the Spaniard shows compassion and gives his assessment of the GP25
At a press conference held by his sponsor Estrella Galicia, Marc Marquez, who is currently sidelined due to injury, spoke surprisingly openly about the difficult season his Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia is having.
While Marquez dominated after his move to the factory team and won the title early, Bagnaia is struggling more than many would have expected with the Desmosedici GP25.
“I’m sorry to see him like this. Pecco has had a total rollercoaster ride this year. I don’t think he can even explain it himself. The best thing that can happen to him is for winter to come so he can reset,“ says Marquez, already looking ahead to the 2026 season. ”He hasn’t forgotten how to ride a motorcycle. We saw that in Motegi,” says the Spaniard, recalling Bagnaia’s double victory and hoping, for the sake of the team, that solutions will be found. “It would be the best thing for the Ducati project.”
Bagnaia and his difficult relationship with the GP25
Bagnaia’s 2025 season has so far been marked by frustration, self-doubt, and a motorcycle that provides him with more questions than answers. After two world championship titles in 2022/23, he narrowly lost to Jorge Martin last year. The GP25 was supposed to be the next step toward technical perfection.
But instead, the new package has proven to be complicated. The Italian is struggling above all with a lack of feeling for the front wheel – the confidence that made him so strong in previous years. “I’ve tried every direction and come to the conclusion that this bike has a different DNA that I can’t adapt to yet,” Bagnaia recently explained his problems.
Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi also confirmed: “Pecco’s speed is beyond question. It’s the confidence in the bike that he’s currently lacking.” While the manufacturer sees the GP25 as an evolutionary step based on the extremely successful GP24, progress on the track seems to be stalling.
Marquez: “GP24 is the best package—with innovations from the GP25”
Marquez himself also has a clear opinion when comparing the two machines: “I think we can take a small step forward with confidence in the front wheel, but without forgetting the rear wheel. Everything is a compromise,“ said the Spaniard. ”The best package was the GP24, but with the innovations of the GP25.”
So even though Marquez also felt the shortcomings of the current prototype, he managed to ride the Ducati more consistently than his teammate Bagnaia in most races.
Marquez may have benefited from the fact that he switched directly from the GP23, which he rode for Gresini in 2024, to the GP25—and did not, like Bagnaia, spend a full season on the near-perfect GP24.
Psychological pressure and technical balancing act
In addition to purely technical issues, the mental component also plays a major role for Bagnaia. With Marquez in the same team, he was constantly being compared to the now seven-time MotoGP world champion in 2025, at a time when he lacked confidence in his bike.
This is something he needs to rediscover over the winter. If Ducati can find the right balance between stability and innovation and Bagnaia can regain his confidence in the front wheel, the double world champion could be back in contention.
