Cycle News In The Paddock
COLUMN
Is Marc Leading Ducati Down the Garden Path?
The absence of new champion Marc Marquez from the last four races of the MotoGP season, who was thoroughly “Lombocked” when Marco Bezzecchi knocked him out of the park in Indonesia, has posed interesting questions for Ducati.
Marc’s presence on the team has massively reinforced their existing superiority, winning not just the title every year since 2022 but also most races. But has it also started a similar process that, over the years of his tenure at Honda, led development into the doldrums?
Honda is only now starting to recover momentum, six seasons after their last dominant championship, achieved, of course, with Marc.
Could Ducati be starting the same process, in reverse?
It is not entirely frivolous. Marc apart, and he is in a world of his own, the latest version of the class-leading machine has suffered some serious blows throughout the year.
The GP24 that took last year’s title has by contrast, been consistently strong, taking Alex Marquez to a string of second places and a first main-race victory, returning Franco Morbidelli to the podium, and giving class rookie Fermin Aldeguer a stunning race win in Indonesia, the second youngest in GP history, after (of course) Marc.
But apart from Marc’s dominant performance, the GP25 has played its rider’s foul. It’s driven second factory rider Pecco Bagnaia deep into the slough of despond with ever-worsening performances and taken Fabio Di Giannantonio through an erratic year with high points (two podiums) hardly compensating for several really poor weekends.
It is Marc’s “world of his own” that seems to be the problem. He gets results that apparently transcend the bike’s quirks and weaknesses because he is so absolutely exceptional. Other riders, following him on track or examining his data, can only wonder at how he does it. A combination of adventure, application, intelligence and astonishing reflexes adds up to a truly unique technique, and puts him out all by himself.
At Honda, he took the bike with him. And at Ducati?
Teammate Bagnaia has struggled to get the GP25 to let him ride as he likes, as it has been unstable under ultra-hard braking and at corner entry. Then, at the Japanese GP, some changes appeared to have done the trick. He won both the Sprint and the feature race, starting from pole. Just like old times for the 2022 and 2023 champion.
What a false dawn. Next time out in Indonesia, he went from untouchable to impenetrable, last in the Sprint, and crashing out of last on Sunday. He looked like he was on a Moto2 bike. In Australia, he was second last in the Sprint, ahead only of Marc’s injury replacement, Ducati factory tester Michele Pirro, and while he managed to get to 12th in the main race, it was only to crash again.
Di Giannantonio did make second in Australia, but that was after finishing last Ducati in Indonesia, behind all the GP24s, and in the top 10 only because of crashes ahead of him.
In Indonesia, factory design genius and race department chief Gigi Dall’Igna’s face was bruised and plastered after a swimming-party misadventure (diving into the shallow end) during celebrations after winning the championship at Motegi. Did he also suffer unseen ego injuries after a bruising weekend for his GP25.
It’s strange to blame the bike that’s dominated 2025, but that’s only in the hands of Marc. Other results have been erratic at best, and dismal at worst.
At Honda, Marc led development of the RC213V, which took him to multiple championship titles but became increasingly difficult and crash-prone for all other Honda riders.
It suited only Marc’s unique and radical riding style.
Until it didn’t.
Dall’Igna needs to wonder whether the super-talented Marc has started to take the Ducati down the same path.
At preseason tests, the GP25 showed handling and braking difficulties. Several innovations were shelved before racing began.
Since then, while Marc worked his magic, the others have too often followed a distinctly downward trajectory.
For Bagnaia, it has been salutary. “I don’t have the answers. I wish someone could tell me,” he said in Indonesia. “I didn’t have the same feeling as Motegi.” Upon arrival in Malaysia for last Sunday’s race, he was philosophical. “I have to accept I could be fourth or even fifth in the championship.” Already powerless to prevent Alex Marquez from running away with second, he was now under serious threat from Marco Bezzecchi, with Pedro Acosta with an outside chance of catching him as well.
Next year, the last for the 1000cc formula, is looming. With engine development frozen and testing opportunities limited (except for concession teams Honda and Yamaha), Dall’Igna, the riders, and all Ducati teamsters will be wondering how not to carry the GP25’s nasty quirks into a season where the opposition threatens to be stronger still.CN
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