Francesco Bagnaia heads into this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez knowing that if he wants to close the gap on his unstoppable teammate Marc Marquez, he needs to raise his game.
The reigning double world champion is currently third in the MotoGP standings — 9 points behind Alex Marquez and 17 adrift of Marc, who has won seven of the opening eight rounds in dominant fashion. But Jerez is familiar territory for Bagnaia, who’s taken victory at the last three consecutive Spanish GPs.
“This time I have to do a step”
“I love the track and the last three GPs here were very nice,” Bagnaia said. “Last year, the battle with Marc was intense, but this year he’s feeling better, and his competitiveness has increased. So I need to raise my level again.”
Even as Marc continues to set the benchmark, Bagnaia remains upbeat.
“I believe that I can fight, I can battle for the win,” he said. “The potential I have is good enough to fight, but Marc is doing everything perfectly. To beat him, you need to be a step in front — and even then, it’s still difficult.”
“Marc doesn’t need to risk, but he doesn’t want second either”
Bagnaia also recognized the strategic position Marc holds in the championship. “Marc is in a situation where he knows he can also finish second without risking too much,” Bagnaia explained. “But he’s a rider that normally doesn’t want to finish second.”
And if Pecco does manage to win in Jerez, he says it’ll be thanks to steady development: “If I win, it’s also because the improvements we’ve made are starting to work.”
Ducati’s dominance and Jerez breakthrough
Ducati is now just one win away from matching Honda’s record of 22 consecutive Grand Prix wins. Reflecting on Ducati’s turnaround at Jerez, Bagnaia credited 2020 as the real turning point.
“That trend changed in 2020. It was my second season, and we started working on details. I was using a different engine brake setting than Dovi and started to be competitive,” he said. “Sometimes it’s more about the rider and adaptation.”
On the Marquez rivalry — and qualifying risks
With both Marquez brothers now ahead of him in the championship, Bagnaia was asked if their sibling rivalry could work to his advantage. He laughed off the idea of any internal chaos, but noted their consistency.
“They are brothers and they are fighting for an amazing objective — to win the title. Alex is doing a fantastic job to equalise the performance every weekend. I don’t think they’ll start to argue… they’ll just discuss it at home,” he smiled.
As for qualifying, Bagnaia made it clear he won’t be easing off, despite a crash in Qatar that left him starting from 11th: “Qualifying is the only moment where you can push at the limit. You need that lap. But I will not change my attitude. I will push like always.”
Looking Ahead
Both Bagnaia and Marc will test new parts for the 2025 Desmosedici GP25 during Monday’s post-race test — but Bagnaia is not expecting (or wanting) a radical shift.
“The bike is already at the top. We’re just working on details. This machine can win every race this year, and maybe until the 2027 regulation change.”
