An unequal comparison
In 2025 Francesco Bagnaia was called to a direct comparison with Marc Marquez with the same bike and technical conditions, given that both riders were inside the official Ducati garage.
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The comparison was unequal; the Ducati GP25 proved to be a nervous and grumpy bike under braking and corner entry. Marc Marquez managed to adapt better than Bagnaia to the prototype created by the Borgo Panigale manufacturer and dominated the season, returning to the MotoGP throne after five very difficult years from a psychological point of view, having had to go through a series of very serious injuries.
Bagnaia, in addition to having to face the best rider on the starting grid – certainly one of the best of all time – also inexorably felt the echo of the rivalry between Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi, with the fans of the rider from Tavullia placing their hopes in Bagnaia to stem the overwhelming talent of the rider from Cervera.
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“I certainly carried with me what happened in 2015, but it’s not fair because in the end I am another rider and I do my own thing – said Bagnaia as a guest on the podcast BSMT (Basement) hosted by Gianluca Gazzoli – it could be that Marc Marquez felt this because I am a VR46 academy rider anyway. He is the one who argued and fought with Vale, so yes. Will this ever be resolved? I don’t think there’s a need in the end. It is what it is, it was what it was.”
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