Pecco Bagnaia Ignored by Ducati: Is the MotoGP Champion Losing Respect?

Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia, the reigning two-time MotoGP world champion, entered the 2025 season with high expectations riding the new Ducati Desmosedici GP25. However, midway through the year, the narrative has dramatically shifted. While Marc Marquez—his new teammate and former rival—has quickly adapted and currently leads the championship with 171 points, Bagnaia has been battling both his machine and his confidence.

What was expected to be a thrilling intra-team battle for the world title has instead revealed a growing divide, not just in results but also in riding experience, technical comfort, and psychological readiness. In a revealing interview, Ducati Lenovo Team Manager Davide Tardozzi breaks down what’s going wrong for Pecco Bagnaia—and why it’s not as simple as switching back to last year’s machine.

A Rough Start to 2025 for Bagnaia

After dominating the 2022 and 2023 seasons and taking the title again in 2024, Bagnaia entered the current season as the clear favorite to defend his crown. Riding the newly developed Ducati GP25, the Italian star was expected to be faster, more consistent, and even more dominant.

Instead, 12 races into the MotoGP 2025 calendar, Bagnaia has only one victory—achieved in Texas under fortuitous circumstances after Marquez crashed while leading. His overall pace, especially under braking and mid-corner handling, has not matched the form fans have come to expect.

“I’ve been repeating myself since the beginning of the season,” Bagnaia admitted in a recent interview. “I can’t feel the front tire this year. As soon as I brake hard going into corners, I feel like the front wheel is going to slip. It limits me enormously.”

This issue—lack of front-end feeling—has been the cornerstone of Bagnaia’s technical struggle with the GP25. It’s not just a setup problem. It’s something deeper in the way the bike responds under load, particularly when entering fast turns, where Bagnaia typically builds his rhythm.

The Marquez Factor

If Bagnaia’s struggles weren’t already enough of a story, the contrast with Marc Marquez has made the narrative even more intense. The Spaniard, in his first year with the factory Ducati team, has made a near-seamless transition and currently leads the championship. His aggressive, instinctive riding style seems to complement the GP25’s performance envelope.

“Marc Marquez could ride a tractor and be competitive,” Bagnaia said with a mix of frustration and admiration. “I need a certain feeling with the bike.”

The quote, while tongue-in-cheek, hints at a serious truth: Bagnaia and Marquez are completely different types of riders. Bagnaia is methodical and heavily reliant on bike feedback, especially from the front end. Marquez, on the other hand, thrives in chaos, often riding around problems rather than solving them with feel or technical finesse.

The result? A widening gap between teammates—and increasing pressure on Ducati to explain what’s going wrong with their defending champion.

Why Not Use the Ducati 2024?

Many MotoGP fans, analysts, and former riders have asked a simple question: Why doesn’t Bagnaia revert to the Ducati GP24—a bike still being used to good effect by Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer?

It seems logical. The GP24 was a proven machine. Bagnaia knows it inside and out. Wouldn’t it be better to sacrifice some potential top-end performance in exchange for a bike he can actually feel confident riding?

Davide Tardozzi, team manager for Ducati Lenovo, answered this in an interview with Speedweek. His explanation makes clear that the problem isn’t about choosing between old and new. It’s about the rules.

“Pecco could use everything from the 2024 bike… except the engine and aerodynamics,” Tardozzi explained. “The regulation requires that only one engine specification be approved per season for non-dealer manufacturers. Once validated, it can no longer be modified.”

In other words, even if Bagnaia wanted to switch chassis or suspension components to mimic the GP24, he’d still be stuck with the GP25’s engine and aero package, which fundamentally changes how the bike behaves.

This means a return to the GP24 is neither legal under MotoGP rules nor likely to offer the complete solution Bagnaia is hoping for.

The Psychological Battle

There’s also a mental side to Bagnaia’s situation that shouldn’t be overlooked. Confidence is critical in MotoGP. A rider must trust the front end under braking, lean angle, and acceleration out of turns. Without that trust, lap time suffers—not to mention race pace, overtaking ability, and consistency.

Bagnaia has hinted that the mental toll is becoming significant. While he remains composed in public, the frustration in his interviews is increasingly evident.

Tardozzi, too, acknowledges that there’s a psychological aspect to the downturn in performance.

“Pecco is a sensitive rider,” he said. “When he doesn’t feel comfortable, it shows. But we believe in him completely. He’s a world champion for a reason, and we’re working every day to give him what he needs.”

Still, the clock is ticking. With Marquez continuing to build his lead, and other rivals like Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta consistently scoring podiums, Bagnaia risks falling out of championship contention if his form doesn’t improve soon.

Ducati’s Technical Dilemma

The Desmosedici GP25 is, on paper, the most advanced MotoGP bike Ducati has ever created. It’s faster in a straight line, more efficient in corners, and aerodynamically optimized for better race pace over long distances. But it seems to be tailored more toward riders like Marquez who push the limits and rely less on chassis feedback.

For Bagnaia, the high-speed stability of the GP25 comes at the cost of front-end feel. And in a championship where hundredths of a second make the difference, that trade-off has been costly.

Tardozzi revealed that while no mid-season engine or aero changes are allowed, the team is looking into “every other possible way” to help Pecco find comfort—whether through suspension tuning, weight distribution, electronics, or tire strategy.

Where Does Bagnaia Go From Here?

At this point, Bagnaia’s best bet is to adjust his riding style, regain confidence through incremental progress, and hope that Ducati’s engineering team can find a sweet spot within the limits of the GP25 package.

There’s also the looming question of how this dynamic plays out within the garage. Bagnaia is the two-time world champion and the face of Ducati’s factory project. Marquez is the newcomer—but he’s currently outperforming expectations.

So far, both riders have shown professionalism. But with the championship on the line and tensions rising, Ducati will need to manage this situation carefully.

What’s Next?

As the MotoGP 2025 season approaches its critical summer stretch, all eyes will be on Bagnaia. Will he rediscover his winning form? Can Ducati find the right technical solution within the rulebook? Will the internal rivalry with Marquez boil over?

One thing is certain: Bagnaia’s journey this season is about more than just results. It’s about resilience, adaptation, and whether a champion can reinvent himself when the sport throws him a curveball.

In a world where milliseconds and mental strength define legacies, Pecco Bagnaia is facing perhaps the most important test of his MotoGP career.