Because it was introduced final June, dialogue and hypothesis about how Marc Marquez will slot into the manufacturing unit Ducati MotoGP squad has dominated the headlines. Up to now, it’s been a really cordial affair, with that persevering with on Monday on the squad’s official launch occasion within the Madonna di Campiglio.
Making his first public look in full manufacturing unit Ducati set-up, having ridden simply in brilliant crimson with out branding on the post-season Barcelona take a look at final November, there may be now a palpable sense of this being the start of one thing massive in Marquez’s profession – for higher or for worse.
With out query, Ducati has assembled the strongest line-up in its historical past – and certainly one of MotoGP’s all-time famous person outfits. Aboard the bike that dominated 19 of 20 grands prix in 2024, it would discipline a six-time premier class champion in Marquez and arguably Ducati’s greatest ever rider in double world champion Francesco Bagnaia. In whole profession titles, they mix for 11 world championships.
Standing within the shadows because the true mastermind is technical genius Gigi Dall’Igna, the person who has remodeled Ducati and led the best way for MotoGP bike improvement for the final decade. Some are already predicting Ducati’s manufacturing unit duo to battle for victory in each race. Success appears assured.
Rossi v Lorenzo repeat?
In a latest interview, workforce supervisor Davide Tardozzi likened his outfit’s line-up to that of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo at Yamaha between 2008 and 2010, after which once more from 2013 to 2016. That’s most likely a good evaluation, but additionally a reminder that probably the most aggressive line-ups in historical past additionally result in main battle.
Yamaha had already put agreements in place with Lorenzo whereas he was nonetheless within the 250cc class forward of his 2008 MotoGP debut, eyeing him up because the successor to Rossi with a view to both his retirement or oft-talked about swap to Components 1. Rossi, after all, stayed in MotoGP and wouldn’t retire till the tip of 2021.
However from the off tensions had been there. A wall was erected within the Yamaha field, ostensibly to cease tyre secrets and techniques escaping between each riders as Rossi ran Bridgestone in 2008 whereas Lorenzo went with Michelin. That wall remained when Bridgestone turned sole provider in 2009, when the pair actually began to butt heads. By 2010, the state of affairs turned untenable and Lorenzo pressured Rossi into his ill-fated Ducati transfer for 2011.
Tensions simmered and remained cool via 2013 and 2014 when the pair reunited at Yamaha. However issues flared once more over the following two years earlier than Lorenzo made a barely extra profitable swap to Ducati.
Marquez, after all, has ruffled loads of feathers since getting into the MotoGP class. HIs expertise on observe is supported by how ruthless his psychological warfare is. He is aware of the proper buttons to press and is tactical when he does so. Nonetheless in a rebuilding part of a profession that stalled following his critical arm harm in 2020, the facility Marquez nonetheless wields in MotoGP was evident final 12 months.
Marquez an influence participant
Publicly refusing a manufacturing unit Ducati at Pramac, Marquez supplied the producer two choices: promote me to the works squad or give me a GP25 at Gresini. Ducati – maybe foolishly – mentioned the latter wasn’t attainable: it was Pramac or nothing. So Marquez threatened to stroll away completely, one thing that spooked CEO Claudio Domenicali.
Ducati made a U-turn on its choice to advertise Jorge Martin, who went on to win the world championship, in favour of Marquez. It was a powerplay from Marquez that has considerably weakened Ducati as a producer.
It misplaced Ducati Martin, with the grid’s greatest satellite tv for pc workforce in Pramac additionally strolling away to Yamaha. Not directly, it additionally led to race winners in Enea Bastianini and Marco Bezzecchi leaving, whereas Ducati has scaled again its manufacturing unit bike providing from 4 to a few and its general illustration from eight to 6.
Marquez and Bagnaia by this level had already had two flashpoints on observe. The primary was their collision on the Portuguese Grand Prix, with the pair having a heated trade within the stewards room afterwards. Tellingly, Marquez got here out to the media and flat out laid the blame for that collision on Bagnaia’s door whereas the latter branded it a racing incident.
Bagnaia received his revenge in a head-to-head on the Spanish GP. However this gained’t maintain a lot weight after they go head-to-head in 2025: Crash understands the GP23 Marquez rode was an early-spec, reasonably than the end-of-season model. That disparity between the GP23 and GP24 solely grew throughout the remainder of the marketing campaign. So, we haven’t but seen how aggressive Marquez can actually be on the Ducati regardless of his three wins final 12 months.
Then there may be the Rossi-shaped elephant within the room. It’s no secret that Marquez’s powerplay final summer time upset the VR46 camp, largely as a result of it immediately weakened the standing Bagnaia truly has inside his personal producer.
Rossi and Marquez, after all, will have fun 10 years in 2025 of their history-altering fallout in the course of the 2015 season – one thing that also hangs over the collection to today. Final 12 months, Rossi started his PR bombardment marketing campaign, telling L’Equipe that he didn’t perceive Ducati’s choice for 2025.
By the way, Rossi has scaled again his automotive racing programme for 2025 and has acknowledged he needs to return to extra MotoGP occasions this season. Ought to tensions flare up between Bagnaia and Marquez, the previous doesn’t need to say very a lot as a result of Rossi will fortunately do the speaking for him.
Mauro Grassili, sporting director at Ducati, mentioned in the course of the launch his key phrase for the approaching season is “concord”. That wasn’t as on-the-nose as Tardozzi saying his “problem” can be “the administration of this storage”.
Marquez versus Bagnaia has all of the makings of being certainly one of MotoGP’s greatest rivalries and probably the most enthralling since Rossi versus Lorenzo.
Ducati isn’t kidding itself of the actual fact its two stars will nearly actually conflict sooner or later. However Ducati hasn’t all the time been in a position to handle strain factors with its stars earlier than, because the likes of Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner will attest. And Marquez versus Bagnaia can be its hardest take a look at but…