Francesco Bagnaia is on a mission in 2025 after narrowly losing the 2024 MotoGP championship to Jorge Martin. With Ducati forming a power-packed duo by teaming Bagnaia with eight-time world champion Marc Marquez, expectations skyrocketed heading into the new season.
But things didn’t start smoothly for Bagnaia. Pre-season testing left him struggling to recapture the form that brought him 11 victories last year. The new GP25 machine hasn’t offered much comfort either, as Ducati chose to retain the GP24 engine and other components, limiting potential improvements. Meanwhile, Marquez adapted quickly and took control, emerging as Ducati’s early front-runner.
This dominance was clear from the opening rounds. Marquez swept the Thai Grand Prix weekend—pole, Sprint, and Grand Prix wins—while Bagnaia found himself trailing not just Marquez, but also Alex Marquez, who was riding the previous year’s GP24 with Gresini.
Things didn’t get better in Argentina. Bagnaia claimed P3 in the Sprint and finished fourth in the main race—again behind both Marquez brothers. There was even talk of him reverting to the 2024 bike, though Pecco later clarified he was simply trying to rediscover the right feeling, not requesting a full spec switch.
The turnaround began in Austin at the Americas GP. After barely scraping into the top 10 in practice, Bagnaia made steady progress across the weekend. He qualified on the second row and delivered a strong Sprint, fighting Marquez closely for the first time this season. Though he finished third once again, it was clear that the #93 was no longer untouchable.
On Sunday, Bagnaia stepped it up. He overtook Alex Marquez and chased down Marc. A mistake from Marquez while leading allowed Bagnaia to capitalize and claim a much-needed victory—his first of the season. Slowly but surely, Bagnaia is building a title challenge on solid ground.
