Francesco Bagnaia is struggling to match his Ducati teammate Marc Marquez in the 2025 MotoGP season.
The Italian is already 51 points behind Marquez after six rounds. Bagnaia has found it difficult to adapt to the GP25, with Gresini rider Alex Marquez outperforming him on the year-old GP24.
Bagnaia has been questioning the bike’s ‘improvements’ as he struggles to find any feel out of the machine, especially in braking. But Davide Tardozzi disagrees with Bagnaia about the GP25, as Marquez is finding performance out of it.
Marquez has won nine of the opening 12 races – including Sprints – while his teammate has reached the top step just once in Austin. Even then, that win was fortuitous as Bagnaia inherited victory from Marquez’s crash on lap nine.
Last time out at Le Mans was the 28-year-old’s most difficult weekend of 2025. He crashed out of the Sprint and limped home 16th on Sunday after he was hit by Enea Bastianini on lap one.
Luigi Dall’Igna is starting to criticise Bagnaia as he struggles to battle the GP24 riders. Having finished third six times this year so far, he does not seem to have an answer for Marquez on the other side of the garage.
Cal Crutchlow doesn’t believe that Francesco Bagnaia has got ‘worse’ or ‘better’ as Marc Marquez’s teammate
Cal Crutchlow knows from experience what it is like to battle Marquez, having ridden with him at Honda from 2015 to 2020. The Spaniard won four MotoGP titles in this time, while the Brit managed just three wins for the LCR team.
Speaking on the Paddock Pass Podcast, Crutchlow says Bagnaia’s ‘problem’ is simply that he has Marquez as his teammate. He does not believe the Italian has got ‘worse’ or ‘better’ since his teammate arrived at Ducati.
“I think Pecco is a very good rider, he’s headstrong as well. But he’s not as headstrong as Marc Marquez, it’s as simple as that,” he said.
“That, and the speed and the talent, he’s not Marc Marquez. I’m not saying he’s always going to be beat, Marc is beatable and Pecco, I’m sure can beat him. But can he beat him over a season? In my opinion, no.
“But that’s not just to say that he won’t and that he’s not giving his 100%. It just doesn’t always go the rider’s way, that how they want it to go.
“Now, people are making a big deal of: ‘Oh, he’s had a terrible start to the season’, all of these things. A lot of that can just be luck, and it can be. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time in Le Mans, he got knocked off by Enea.
“Yes, he’s making some mistakes but we’ve also seen Marc lose a potential 50 points this year, he’s made some mistakes as well.
“So, I don’t believe that Pecco Bagnaia has got any slower, any worse, or any better for that instance. I think the problem is Marc’s come in and Marc’s stronger.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
Francesco Bagnaia has scored more podiums at this point in 2025 than any other MotoGP season
A lot has been made of the 28-year-old’s start to the season. MotoGP fans think Dall’Igna has lost faith in Bagnaia after seeing his reaction to his crash in the Sprint at Le Mans.
The Italian does have a mountain to climb to catch Marquez, especially now that the Spaniard is beating him on tracks that are more suited to him. But it is not as if Bagnaia has been uncompetitive this season, as he is still, in theory, in the title picture.
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | Marc Marquez | Ducati | 171 |
| 2 | Alex Marquez | Gresini | 149 |
| 3 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 120 |
| 4 | Franco Morbidelli | VR46 | 85 |
| 5 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | VR46 | 74 |
Bagnaia has been on the podium eight times from the opening 12 races; the most at this point in a season since he joined MotoGP in 2020. While he did have more wins in 2023 (four) and 2024 (three), he has understood the importance of scoring whatever points are on offer.
As Crutchlow pointed out, Marquez proved Bagnaia right about his approach with his crash at Jerez. The 32-year-old is also making mistakes at Ducati; Bagnaia must ensure he stays clean and keeps his bike on the track.
