The manufacturing facility Ducati squad formally unveiled its 2025 MotoGP livery at an occasion in Italy with Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia.
Ducati comes into the brand new season seeking to cement its dominance, having received 19 of 20 grands prix final 12 months on its option to riders’ and constructors’ titles, and the groups’ title with Pramac.
At its manufacturing facility squad, Ducati has assembled one in every of MotoGP’s most formidable line-ups because it pairs double world champion Francesco Bagnaia with six-time premier class title winner Marc Marquez.
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Whereas the whole lot remained cordial by way of the launch, there’s nonetheless an overarching sense that tensions will finally boil between the pair.
“It’s troublesome for Ducati, I feel, to foretell what they want to occur and what’s going to occur,” Crash.web’s Social Media Supervisor and podcast host Jordan Moreland stated.
“There’s one thing for me about Marquez preserving his playing cards near his chest once more.
“He didn’t actually give something away. When he was talking to the press, he even bought requested ‘is that this the most important 12 months of your profession thus far?’ And he was like ‘no, 2024 was as a result of it was the comeback’.
“You simply sense that he’s actually prepared for this as a result of he’s stated about preserving one eye on the title from spherical one, and he hasn’t stated it actually since 2020. It is a totally different Marquez. He’s going again to the outdated methods, I can sense.”
Crash Senior Journalist Lewis Duncan echoed Moreland’s ideas, including: “It’s the primary time we’ve heard Marc since he signed for the manufacturing facility Ducati group that he’s truly fascinated by the championship, as a result of up so far he’s spoken about needing to get the group up entrance first, Pecco’s going to be the primary, he’s the reference.
“It’s the primary time we’ve heard overtly – and inside earshot of Pecco Bagnaia as effectively – that the expectation is to battle for the world championship from the primary race.
“That’s attention-grabbing. We’re beginning to very steadily see that swap from Marc.
“He’s had that 12 months on the Gresini bike, he’s received races, he’s again to the place he was. He very practically beat Bagnaia on an inferior Ducati [at Jerez].
“And I feel that is when these flashpoints between the 2 of them will get put into additional focus this 12 months.”
One potential plot level for the 2025 season will probably be how concerned Marquez’s arch rival Valentino Rossi will get concerned off-track in a title battle between the Ducati pair.
Rossi was vital of Ducati’s resolution to advertise Marquez final 12 months, reigniting a feud that neither Marquez – nor Bagnaia – have proven a lot curiosity in dignifying at this stage.
Crash MotoGP Editor Peter McLaren reckons: “We’ve seen it from Marquez the place he type of doesn’t reply to the feedback, as a result of he was requested in regards to the interview and feedback and he simply type of laughed it off.
“He doesn’t become involved. It is going to be the context of them, if these feedback come out may Marquez see it as ‘oh, effectively Rossi is fearful about Bagnaia and that’s why he’s talking’.
“In that approach, for Marquez, he’ll see it as a little bit of a lift – ‘they’re saying this as a result of they know they’re in bother towards me’. I feel it’s going to additionally nearly make Pecco look in a stronger place if he stays out of it so long as he can. As we all know, Pecco likes to do his speaking on the race monitor. So, if it does come up it’s simply going so as to add one other dimension to it.”
