As the 2025 MotoGP season unfolds, Marc Marquez has quickly cemented his status as the man to beat. His seamless adaptation to the new Ducati GP25 and the commanding form he has shown on track have left fans and experts alike searching for answers behind his rapid success. Amidst a chorus of opinions, Fabio Di Giannantonio, currently fifth in the championship and a teammate at Pertamina Enduro VR46, offers a grounded and insightful perspective worth attention.
Di Giannantonio, a Roman rider well-respected in the paddock, is no stranger to high expectations. With access to a Ducati prototype essentially identical to Marquez’s, he approaches the season with confidence but also realism. “We can be in the top 3 every Sunday,” he states plainly. “It’s not bragging, it’s a matter of conscience.” His words speak not only to his belief in his own abilities but also to the strength of the team and machinery supporting him.
One common narrative circulating among observers is that Ducati engineered the GP25 specifically to fit Marquez’s riding style, essentially building a bike tailored to his unique demands. Di Giannantonio confronts this idea head-on, emphasizing the collective nature of the bike’s development. “For all I know, all motorcycles are the same, but we should ask Gigi Dall’Igna,” he says, referencing Ducati’s technical director, a key figure in shaping the Desmosedici’s evolution.
The GP25, as Di Giannantonio points out, did not materialize overnight to suit a single rider. It represents the culmination of years of development involving multiple riders and test teams, including the contributions of Pecco Bagnaia and other factory riders. This history of iterative improvement challenges the idea of a sudden, radical shift tailored exclusively to Marquez. “It’s a motorcycle that has been developed in recent years by Pecco Bagnaia, in collaboration with the test team and all the official drivers who have followed one another,” he explains.
While Bagnaia’s recent struggles contrast with Marquez’s sparkling form, and Jorge Martin also showcased impressive results on the same machine in 2024, Di Giannantonio cautions against oversimplifying Ducati’s success. “To think that Ducati changed its entire philosophy for Marc in six races makes no sense,” he insists. The Ducati, he says, remains a product of collective effort, not a bespoke gift to a single rider. “I don’t think we’re all going to have to drive like Marc Marquez. It’s not like Honda. The Ducati, a collective work — not a gift to Marc.”
At the heart of Di Giannantonio’s argument lies the recognition of Marquez’s extraordinary talent as the key differentiator. “He’s going very strong because he’s an extremely talented driver,” Di Giannantonio observes. “To win, you have to be more skilled than the others. At Honda, they built a bike for Marc. At Ducati, Marc builds the race.” This subtle but important distinction highlights how Marquez’s prowess elevates the machinery, rather than the machinery defining the rider’s success.
What does Di Giannantonio believe he still needs to climb the podium more consistently and challenge for victories? “You have to stay focused, not be superficial, because it is important to improve to be where you need to be,” he says, acknowledging the constant demand for growth in MotoGP’s fiercely competitive environment. His humility and self-awareness complement his confidence, painting a portrait of a rider hungry to learn but grounded in the reality of the sport.
This perspective from Di Giannantonio also reflects the broader transformation happening within the MotoGP paddock. The Ducati remains a highly competitive and capable machine for all its riders, and the story of Marquez’s dominance is more about the man himself than a miraculous change in the bike’s DNA. While pundits speculate on whether Ducati has become “Marquez’s bike,” Di Giannantonio cuts through the noise: the bike hasn’t fundamentally changed — it’s simply that a phenomenon has stepped aboard it.
Di Giannantonio’s outlook offers fans and commentators a balanced view that values both the technological innovation behind the GP25 and the unmatched skill of Marc Marquez. It’s a reminder that in MotoGP, while machines can be engineered for speed and precision, the rider’s talent remains the ultimate factor in race day success.
As the season progresses, Di Giannantonio’s steady rise and insights provide a compelling counterpoint to the narrative that a single rider’s dominance is solely the result of bespoke machinery. Instead, it is a combination of years of development, a team’s collective effort, and the unmatched brilliance of an extraordinary rider that creates a champion.
