Francesco Bagnaia has fallen further behind Marc Marquez in the 2025 MotoGP title battle after his retirement at the British Grand Prix.
The two-time champion knew he would be in for a tough battle with Marquez at Ducati this season. However, not many would have expected him to struggle as badly as he has on the GP25.
The new Desmosedici appears to be entirely different to what Bagnaia was used to on the GP24. The Italian is struggling to find any feeling from the front of the bike, resulting in three crashes in the last four races, including Sprints.
Bagnaia suffered a disaster at Le Mans, crashing out of the Sprint and limping home P16 in the Grand Prix after a first-lap collision. At Silverstone, he outqualified Marquez for the first time, but Ducati struggled in the cold conditions.
Bagnaia crashed out on Sunday, while Marquez secured third place to extend his lead over brother Alex Marquez to 24 points. The Italian is now 72 points behind his teammate after seven rounds in 2025.
Francesco Bagnaia admits ‘I need help’ as Marc Marquez pulls away in 2025 title fight
Marquez has adapted seamlessly to the GP25, winning nine races thus far in 2025. It is a totally different story on the other side of the Ducati garage.
Bagnaia is struggling to find improvements from the GP25, admitting that he has to change his riding style to feel more comfortable on the bike.
But after Silverstone, the 28-year-old is desperate to find solutions as he constantly reiterates how little feeling he has on the machine.
“The bike doesn’t work better, worse, or better. As always, I don’t feel anything,” he said via quotes from AS.
“I know I’m very fast. I know I can win every race, but my feeling remains the same. I can’t perform miracles; I need help.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number
Are Francesco Bagnaia’s title chances now over in 2025?
With 15 races still to go, Bagnaia does have time to turn his form around. But he has a huge mountain to climb being 72 points behind and Marquez beating him on tracks that are better suited to him.
The Italian has even been struggling to match the GP24 riders, with Alex Marquez being a level above him in 2025. Bagnaia does not have the same feeling on the GP25 as he did with last year’s bike, which won him 11 out of 20 races in 2024.
Ducati changed the bike’s balance ‘without meaning to’, which may explain Bagnaia’s struggles. Marquez has not been affected by the change as he looks set to dominate the championship in 2025.
His teammate must get his act together if he is to stay in the title picture. Ducati are beginning to mount pressure on him, but Pedro Acosta highly doubts Bagnaia will be dropped, with wild rumours suggesting that he could be out of the team soon.
