Why the stakes are so high for Marquez and Bagnaia this season

Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia have something to prove as they start the 2025 MotoGP season at the Thai Grand Prix this week.

Marquez has a bike capable of fighting for the championship for the first time in five years. In Bagnaia’s case, it’s the desire to reclaim his throne in MotoGP that is the driving force. Whoever emerges on top at the Valencia GP in November will earn a special place in MotoGP folklore.

It would be easy for naysayers to say that the media is overblowing the rivalry between Marquez and Bagnaia this season, but it would be wrong to downplay the significance of the two sharing a garage. After all, not since Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo in the mid-2010s have two riders of the same high calibre raced for the same team at the same time. And, while Yamaha was a mighty big team during the last decade, its success in that period is dwarfed by the current dominance of Ducati.

That puts Marquez and Bagnaia in a privileged position but the stakes are so high that neither can afford to fumble. Remember the sprint mistakes that are often cited for Bagnaia’s title defeat in 2024? There will be no room for those this year. Marquez, too, can’t rest on his laurels and give away too many points.

Had the winter gone according to plan, they would have been bestowed with the latest and the greatest example of the Desmosedici, the GP25, giving them some room to breathe. But with Ducati’s development work not bearing fruit, and concerns over the engine freeze, the bikes won’t be too dissimilar from last year’s challenger. This means other Ducati riders on the full 2024-spec bike will also be in the frame for race victories, and any mistakes Bagnaia and Marquez make will be punished harder. Marquez’s own brother Alex will be first to pounce on any opportunity after a fantastic run in pre-season testing.

Even then, Marc Marquez and Bagnaia can still count themselves fortunate to have what will be the best bike on the grid – and by some margin. Even with Aprilia showing promising signs in Buriram, and both Yamaha and Honda making a leap in the off-season, Ducati is expected to remain at the forefront in MotoGP until at least the end of the current rule cycles. That means, for the next two seasons, Bagnaia and Marquez will be the protagonists for the championship, with little resistance from the opposition.

Bagnaia has vowed to remain a gentleman on track, but his character will be tested this year against Marquez, who is famous for his block moves. The pair already came to blows at the Portuguese GP last year and the 25 points Bagnaia lost that day contributed to his title defeat.

Another intriguing aspect of their rivalry is Marquez entering a team where Bagnaia has already established himself as the top dog. The Italian is loved by both Ducati Corse and the Borgo Panigale’s senior management, having already become the most successful rider in Ducati’s history. While Marquez is confident that he will be treated equally, even he is forced to admit that his team-mate may get the “first say” on important matters, thanks to his seniority status. This is a massive change for the 32-year-old, who is used to having the entire factory running at his fingertips.

Bagnaia, too, will be facing the heat from Marquez’s arrival. While he has raced with several capable team-mates in the past, including Jack Miller and Enea Bastianini, none are quite a match to Marquez’s talent. To put it simply, Ducati is Bagnaia’s home turf and he wouldn’t want another rider coming in and winning the hearts of Davide Tardozzi and Gigi Dall’Igna.

Towards the end of the last decade, many were already starting to consider Marquez as the proverbial GOAT in MotoGP. But the narrative has changed in recent years as the impact of his 2020 injury became clear. Marquez now has a chance to set that right

But this battle isn’t just about becoming the number one rider within Ducati’s ranks. Or even winning another title to their respective tallies. Both Bagnaia and Marquez are aiming for something far greater.

For Bagnaia, winning the 2025 title is about redeeming himself after his agonising defeat to Martin last year. It would also take away any little doubt people have about including him in the list of MotoGP’s all-time greats. For all his recent success in MotoGP, including two titles and his impressive 11-race victory tally in 2024, Bagnaia is still not seen in the same light as the series’ biggest stars from the past.

This is down to a combination of factors, including always having the best equipment, making far too many mistakes (even before 2024) and not having a rival like Marquez on competitive machinery. But with him finally taking the latter head-on this year, Bagnaia has a chance to cement his place in MotoGP’s hall of fame.

He may have two titles to his name, but Bagnaia isn’t yet considered an all-time great by many

Photo by: MotoGP

Meanwhile, Marquez also has a bigger goal to achieve after his infamous injury at Jerez in 2020. Like it or not, his career will always be remembered in two halves. It is a fact he has also learned to live with. Since that horrific highside crash, the Spaniard has had to work harder than ever on his fitness to remain competitive on a bike, and he hasn’t shied away from admitting that he will never be back to his pre-2020 level of form.

While it’s safe to say he has rejuvenated his career after scoring three victories with Gresini last year (in addition to the three he achieved in 2021), his comeback won’t be complete until he has won a seventh premier class title.

Towards the end of the last decade, many were already starting to consider him as the proverbial GOAT in MotoGP. But the narrative has changed in recent years as the impact of his 2020 injury became truly clear. It’s now the ‘pre-injury Marquez’ that is compared to the likes of Rossi and Giacomo Agostini.

Marquez now has a chance to set that right. If he manages to win another championship despite all his limitations – and against Bagnaia, no less – the debate will be settled once and for all.

Will Marquez still look so happy by the end of a pivotal MotoGP season?

Photo by: MotoGP