After winning consecutive MotoGP world titles with Ducati and almost making it a third in 2024, Francesco Bagnaia’s standing at the Italian constructor has taken a hit amid Marc Marquez’s total dominance in 2025.
The Italian rider has raced in the shadow of Marquez for the majority of this season, with the Spaniard taking a commanding lead of the riders’ championship with him into MotoGP’s summer break.
Bagnaia summed up his 2025 MotoGP season in three words, with one of those words being ‘difficult’. The 28-year-old has struggled to get to grips with the GP25 bike Ducati have entered for the 2025 season, with Marquez on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Marquez’s early pace this season left Bagnaia ‘raging’, with the Italian having to accept his teammate’s pace as the season has progressed. Marquez has shown no signs of slowing down after winning the previous five Grands Prix consecutively.
Francesco Bagnaia’s reputation at Ducati may never ‘recover’ after a tough season in the shadow of Marc Marquez
Bagnaia’s struggles on the GP25 has led to frustration within the Ducati setup, who are ‘distressed’ by the rider’s poor form, according to a report by Marca.
He has won just one race this season, at the Americas Grand Prix, thanks to a crash by Marquez, who was leading at the time.
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His ‘inability’ to adapt to the riding style that the bike demands has been another key reason why Ducati are looking elsewhere for the 2027 season.
In a separate report by The Race, Bagnaia is at risk of ‘never’ being able to recover the ‘lofty position’ he held at the Italian constructor due to the level of riding Marquez has shown on the same machinery this season.
His ‘shocking’ form in Sprint races this year has been a key factor in why Ducati may not see the 28-year-old as a future title contender with the team.
Marc Marquez has been ‘spectacular’ in the 2025 MotoGP season
On the other side of the scale, Ducati are ‘very happy’ with the Ant of Cervera’s ‘spectacular’ performances that he has consistently shown on the GP25 through the 2025 season, according to Marca.
Marquez has dominated the Sprint races on Saturdays, winning all but one of them after 12 rounds in the books. Sundays have painted a similar picture, with the Spaniard taking eight of the chequered flags so far to put himself in record-setting pace.
RankRiderPoints1Marc Marquez3812Alex Marquez2613Francesco Bagnaia2134Marco Bezzecchi1565Fabio Di Giannantonio1422025 MotoGP riders’ standings
He has ten rounds remaining of the 2025 season to break his 2014 record of 13 Grand Prix victories in a single season. If he is perfect from the resumption of the summer break in Austria, he could break the record as early as the Indonesian Grand Prix in October.
Marquez has been rather animated in his post-race celebrations, something Mat Oxley identified that must be hard for Bagnaia amid a season which has begged for more from the Italian.