Paolo Simoncelli believes Pecco Bagnaia underestimated Marc Marquez during the 2025 MotoGP season due to misguided influence from Valentino Rossi’s inner circle.
Bagnaia entered 2025 as a two-time world champion, having narrowly missed a third title in 2024 despite winning 11 races. However, his first season alongside Marquez at Ducati proved difficult, as he struggled with consistency and finished fifth in the standings, managing only two victories. In contrast, Marquez dominated the season with 11 grand prix wins and 14 sprint victories to secure his seventh MotoGP crown.
While Bagnaia and Ducati have dismissed claims that mental pressure from having Marquez as a team-mate affected his performance, Simoncelli sees it differently. He feels Bagnaia was not ready to face such a strong rival in the same garage and was led to downplay Marquez’s threat.
According to Simoncelli, Bagnaia believed that avoiding mistakes would be enough to regain control of the championship fight, especially after losing the previous title despite a high number of wins. However, Marquez’s relentless competitiveness and racecraft quickly exposed that mindset, pushing Bagnaia into a difficult season.
Simoncelli also touched on the long-standing tension between Marquez and Rossi, which dates back to their 2015 fallout, suggesting that this rivalry still shapes opinions within Rossi’s camp.
He added that Marquez’s riding style and mentality reminded him of his late son Marco Simoncelli, praising Marquez’s determination, aggression, and refusal to give up on track.
