Marc Marquez’s move to Ducati’s factory MotoGP team last off-season set expectations for a fierce title fight in 2025, with Francesco Bagnaia widely predicted as the top Ducati contender. However, the unfolding season has revealed a surprising turn: Bagnaia’s once-dominant form has sharply declined, while fellow Italian and Rossi protégé Marco Bezzecchi has surged impressively, challenging the established hierarchy within Ducati MotoGP rider rivalry. This dramatic rivalry shift is reshaping the championship narrative across tracks in Europe and beyond.
Bagnaia’s Declining Fortunes amid 2025 Season Challenges
Since clinching his first MotoGP win in 2021, Francesco Bagnaia has been the leading Italian figure in the sport, securing 30 victories over four years and two world championships in 2022 and 2023. Ducati’s top performer during a dominant spell that included sweeping the constructors’ title since 2020, Bagnaia was regarded as the heir to Valentino Rossi’s legacy after Rossi’s retirement in 2021. Yet, the 2025 season presents a stark contrast.
After the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano, Bagnaia has won only once this season—capitalizing on Marc Marquez’s crash at the Austin race—and has struggled to replicate past performances in all 32 starts, including sprint events. Currently placed third overall, Bagnaia lags 93 points behind second-placed satellite Ducati rider Alex Marquez and sits well outside mathematical contention for the championship with six races remaining. This standings gap was unthinkable at the season’s March start in Thailand.
Bezzecchi’s Meteoric Rise at Aprilia and Title Pursuit
By contrast, Marco Bezzecchi, who transitioned from Ducati to Aprilia last year, has transformed from a modest starter to a formidable contender. Following a hesitant beginning with just 38 points in six rounds, the 26-year-old ignited his season with a British Grand Prix victory at Silverstone in May. Since then, Bezzecchi has outscored Bagnaia by 74 points across the last ten rounds while grabbing nine podiums compared to Bagnaia’s four, narrowing the championship difference to a mere eight points behind his compatriot.
At his home race in Misano, where Bagnaia once excelled, Bezzecchi dominated by clinching pole position, winning the sprint race, and challenging Marquez closely in the Grand Prix, finishing just over half a second behind after 27 intense laps. Meanwhile, Bagnaia endured his worst weekend at the track in years: qualifying eighth, fading to 13th in the sprint, and crashing out early in the main race without scoring points.
Technical Struggles and Mental Barriers Impact Bagnaia’s Performance
Bagnaia’s downturn traces back to early troubles in the season, particularly highlighted by a disastrous outing at the French Grand Prix in May, where a sprint crash was compounded by a collision in the main race. While Bezzecchi’s form climbed steadily, Bagnaia’s confidence appeared to erode, marked by difficulties adapting to Ducati’s new GP25 bike. Unlike the GP24 machine that complemented Bagnaia’s late-braking style, the 2025 model suffers from a perceived lack of front-end feel, leaving Bagnaia unable to exploit its limits fully.
Described as a cerebral rider, Bagnaia struggles mentally to come to terms with the bike’s handling quirks, impacting his ability to replicate previous success. The contrast is sharp with Marquez, who never rode the GP24 yet thrives on the GP25, showing no yearning for past machinery. This difference adds to Bagnaia’s challenge, as he seems caught between wishing for the past and adapting to present realities.
His recent home Grand Prix at Misano was particularly discouraging; an eighth-place grid start—the worst since 2020—and a 13th place finish in the sprint, followed by a crash out of seventh place in the Grand Prix, mark a low point in his career. He admitted publicly, “My patience is running out,” highlighting the frustration underlying his poor form.
“It’s difficult … my effort is enormous, my head is strong. I will not lose confidence in my potential and in my team. We will continue to work, and one day we will return. I hope it will be soon.” – Francesco Bagnaia
Ducati officials, once confident in Bagnaia’s consistency, now speak with increasing concern. General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna acknowledged the delicate situation:
“The situation is definitely delicate with ‘Pecco’ [Bagnaia], he’s struggling,”
adding,
“As I’ve said many times before, we’ll have to find a way out. I’ve lost patience too, as have Pecco’s fans. I think it’s normal to say these things when the results aren’t coming.”
Team manager Davide Tardozzi underscored ongoing commitment, stating,
“As we’ve said several times, we won’t give up, he won’t give up, we’ll find the right balance sooner or later,”
and emphasizing Bagnaia’s past brilliance and belief in recovery:
“What he’s shown over the last seven years is something important. It’s true that we’re in a really difficult moment, but we’re sure that with the talent he has and the bike he has, we’ll get through it. There are long steps forward, and we must not take them all at once.”
Meanwhile, Marquez, having seized team leadership with impressive form, also expressed empathy toward Bagnaia’s struggles:
“It’s the first time in his career that he’s been in this situation, but he has enough talent to come out of it, to come out of this hole,”
while noting he is not Bagnaia’s direct advisor,
“I’m not the person to give advice to ‘Pecco’, because he has his team and his people around him. They have a lot of experience here and they will help him, but I want the best for Ducati, and for Ducati we need both riders there on the top, fighting for the top positions. It will be better to develop the bike for the future.”
He added a rider’s perspective on hardship:
“I want to beat everyone, but I don’t want to see someone suffering like ‘Pecco’ right now. It’s something that is not easy for the riders, when you are in a difficult moment.”
Bezzecchi’s Ascension and Evolving Relationship with Marquez
While Bagnaia’s fortunes fade, Marco Bezzecchi has emerged as a breakout star, transforming Aprilia’s hopes amid team upheaval. With Jorge Martin sidelined due to injuries and internal disputes, Bezzecchi assumed leadership responsibilities both on and off the track. Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola publicly commended Bezzecchi’s contribution, underlining the rider’s growing influence in the team’s strategic development.
Bezzecchi’s recent form peaked at Misano, where he narrowly missed a perfect points haul, falling just short to Marquez in a gripping contest. Reflecting on his weekend, Bezzecchi stated,
“The [Silverstone] win obviously has a different taste, but in terms of overall performance and the mood of the weekend, it’s one of the best,”
continuing,
“Not the best, because when you win it’s much better, but one of the best anyway. Physically it was a tough race because this track is one of the toughest, and when you have such good grip conditions you can push all the race, all the laps for 27 laps is demanding. My legs were not live anymore …”
Marquez, who had previously held off Bezzecchi by less than a second at Assen, praised his competitor’s pace and resilience after their battle at Misano:
“Marco was a super-tough opponent, congrats to him because being faster than ever in the final laps, he was replying in a very good way,”
he said, highlighting the intensity:
“Both of us were pushing more than usual, the heart rate was super high the last few laps. I put all my cards on the table, but the reply from Marco was amazing.”
This mutual competitive respect marks a dramatic turnaround from their fraught interactions in 2023. Late in that season at Valencia, Marquez caused Bezzecchi to crash, prompting harsh criticism from the Italian. Bezzecchi described the incident as
“very, very dirty,”
going further:
“I think from the view from the TV you can see very well, but it’s Marquez so they [race stewards] don’t make anything [penalty] to him. When you make the other rider crash, at least [it’s] a f**king penalty. The race is 27 laps. If you make me crash on the third corner, I think you deserve a penalty. They never make nothing to him, because it’s Marquez, and he’s the dirtiest rider.”
Marquez’s retort downplayed Bezzecchi by refusing to say his name directly:
“I will not lose a lot of time with this rider, because during this season he already push me out many times,”
Yet their recent joint appearance in Misano’s post-race press conference conveyed a more composed rapport. Bezzecchi reflected on their evolving dynamic, saying,
“It’s normal when you fight to have some tough moments, and also I think I was more immature in the past compared to now,”
He continued,
“It was difficult … right now, for me it’s good. Marc is of course a rival so we are not best friends, but it’s like this between all the MotoGP riders. We have a good relationship in terms of respect to each other, and on track we can do good races.”
Implications for Ducati and the MotoGP Landscape
The 2025 season’s rider rivalry within Ducati underscores a significant shift in MotoGP’s competitive landscape. Bagnaia’s challenges with the GP25 and resulting confidence issues mark a low point for a rider once considered untouchable within the factory squad. Meanwhile, Marquez’s immediate impact and Bezzecchi’s rapid rise place new pressure on Ducati to reconfigure its internal dynamics and strategies moving forward.
Bezzecchi’s emergence as a genuine title threat to Marquez injects fresh drama into the championship, while the seasoned Spaniard’s ability to keep pace underscores the evolving competition. The Ducati factory faces crucial decisions on rider management, bike development, and team cohesion as it attempts to maintain its championship-winning momentum.
With six races remaining before the season’s conclusion, the question remains whether Bagnaia can rediscover form or if Bezzecchi will continue to climb, potentially reshaping Italian motorcycle racing’s future. The Ducati MotoGP rider rivalry now appears less about historical hierarchy and more about who can best adapt and perform amid changing fortunes and intense competitive pressures.
