The fifth spherical of the 2025 MotoGP season sees the championship head to Europe and to the enduring Jerez for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Some of the fashionable stops on the calendar, there’s heightened expectation for this yr’s Spanish GP at Jerez following the thrilling duel for victory between Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia final season.
Bagnaia got here off the winner that day, with many hopeful of a repeat with each riders on equal equipment on the manufacturing unit Ducati crew.
However is that real looking to anticipate?
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“I feel everyone seems to be anticipating a repeat of final yr, proper? We’re hoping that we see Pecco vs Marc spherical two,” he started.
“That was a fantastic, nice grand prix we had final yr. It was in all probability the primary grand prix final yr that we noticed Marc correctly aggressive on that Ducati.
“I simply don’t suppose we’ll see it sadly. Again then, we knew Marc was on a GP23 and the distinction between the GP24 was ostensibly wasn’t that massive.
“We’ve come to seek out out that the bike Marquez was on was not even remotely near the GP24 – it was barely near the GP23.
“So, that efficiency with that freshness to the bike on not essentially the most aggressive bike, to then anticipate a repeat when the 2 of them are on equal equipment after what we’ve seen this yr – I hat to burst everybody’s bubble, however we’re going to must see a large swap from Pecco Bagnaia to see that.”
Marquez leads the championship by 17 factors coming to Jerez, having gained all 4 sprints up to now and three of the primary 4 grands prix.
Bagnaia is 26 factors adrift in third having gained the Americas GP following Marquez’s crash from the lead.
A key weak spot for Bagnaia in 2025 has been his lack of velocity within the sprints, which he has blamed on a recurring stability change in his bike attributable to the smaller gas tanks mandated for the half-distance races.
Crash MotoGP Podcast host and social media supervisor Jordan Moreland believes the success of Bagnaia’s weekend at Jerez can be measured by his consequence on Saturday.
“Bagnaia retains saying about this situation with the gas tank within the dash, the way in which it modifications the bike,” Moreland stated.
“And he appears like he’s so weak on the entrance finish of it, it doesn’t enable him to brake the place he desires and have that feeling that he does in a grand prix.
“We noticed final yr that perhaps these two races, Le Mans as effectively, the dash races have been actual dangerous luck for him, I feel it might be a very good begin to his weekend if he can get a podium within the dash, simply to be like ‘effectively the bike feels okay now’.
“There’s little question within the grand prix that he can be completely up for it, as a result of he’s simply higher in grands prix. His monitor file exhibits that, he’s gained the final three races at Jerez.”