Marc Marquez continues to dominate the 2025 MotoGP season as a key figure for the factory Ducati team, yet an unexpected issue shadows his impressive winning streak. Despite securing numerous victories, Marquez’s lap times and overall speeds have failed to surpass those of top riders like Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin from the 2024 season, revealing a surprising decline in race pace across the board.
Comparing Current Race Times with 2024 Highlights a Broad Slowdown
Detailed timing data from multiple circuits demonstrates a puzzling drop in speed this year. At the Red Bull Ring, Marquez’s winning time of 42:11.006 barely edges out Bagnaia’s 2024 finishing time of 42:11.173. Yet, Bagnaia was twelve seconds slower in this season’s event, marking a significant downturn in performance for many riders. Similar trends appeared at other venues: the Sachsenring saw Marquez post a time two seconds slower than Bagnaia last year, and at Assen, the gap widened to seven seconds. The Mugello circuit revealed an alarming 18-second deficit compared to 2024 times. Only at Jerez did 2025 times improve, and then by a slim margin of two seconds.
Technical Concerns and Industry Speculation Surround Ducati’s New Machine
This slowdown has fueled speculation in the paddock about the capabilities of the Ducati GP25 compared to the GP24. While Marquez’s skill enables him to dominate races, competitors still using the older GP24 bikes have struggled to match the extraordinary speeds set by Bagnaia and Martin in 2024. Rival manufacturers are closely watching these developments, expressing concern about the GP25’s performance and the broader implications for technology trends within the MotoGP field.
Implications of the Slower Pace Could Threaten the Sport’s Future Appeal
The paradox of Marquez’s current reign lies in how his individual success conceals a troubling decline in speed, with races overall becoming notably slower than in past seasons. If this pattern continues, MotoGP may face stagnation or regression, raising urgent questions about how technology and regulations can be adjusted to preserve the sport’s thrilling nature. Riders, teams, and fans alike are left grappling with this unexpected reality, as the 2025 season evolves into not only a contest of victory but a challenge to uncover the causes behind the sudden drop in performance.
“These numbers have sparked rampant speculation among paddock insiders: could the Ducati GP25 actually be less capable than its predecessor, the GP24?” — Unnamed Insider
As the season progresses, the MotoGP community must contend with these speed anomalies and their ramifications, making the resolution of this mystery critical for the sport’s ongoing excitement and competitiveness.
