Francesco Bagnaia must beat his own record and achieve the greatest comeback in MotoGP history again if the Ducati rider is to beat Marc Marquez for the 2025 title.
The 28-year-old made history to win the first of his two titles in the 2022 MotoGP season, as Bagnaia overturned a 91-point deficit to Yamaha pilot Fabio Quartararo. Until then, Joan Mir held the record after also overturning a 48-point deficit to Quartararo to lift the title in 2020.
But Bagnaia already faces a greater challenger after the first eight of 22 rounds in 2025 than the Italian did after the first 10 of the 20 rounds staged back in 2022, as he now trails Ducati teammate Marquez by 93 points. He also already trails Alex Marquez of Gresini by 61 points.
Michele Pirro believes Francesco Bagnaia is still a title contender after his brake change at Aragon
Marc Marquez did the Sprint and Grand Prix double at Aragon to edge his lead over Bagnaia to 93 points. It was the 32-year-old’s fourth Grand Prix victory and seventh Sprint win of the season so far. Bagnaia won the Americas GP after Marquez crashed for his only win to date.
But Ducati test rider Michele Pirro still believes Bagnaia is in the 2025 MotoGP title fight. He also feels the Turin native will have taken a ‘very important’ boost from finishing third in the Aragon GP after Ducati changed Bagnaia’s front brake from the 340mm to 350mm discs.
Pirro thinks the improved feel his Italian compatriot found with the larger front brake disc at MotorLand Aragon will have given Bagnaia as great of a mental boost as it did on a technical level. Bagnaia’s lack of feel with the front of Ducati’s bike has been one of his biggest issues.
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“Bagnaia had a few more problems,” Pirro has told MOW. “But you certainly can’t say he’s not in the game. [The] Desmosedici GP24 and Desmosedici GP25 differ in very small things, but they are really very similar.
“It’s just a matter of fixing a few details. We already saw something important in my opinion at Aragon.
“Many people ask me if for Pecco having used the larger diameter disc may have made the difference more on a mental level than on a concretely technical one. But maybe it’s both things. In what percentage? You can make up the percentages.”
Francesco Bagnaia will be raring to prove his title credentials at the Italian Grand Prix
Bagnaia has struggled to adapt to the GP25 for much of the 2025 season as Ducati changed the front forks on their 2025 MotoGP bike in favour of a longer design compared to the one used on the GP24. But the larger brake discs he used at Aragon did help to improve his feel.
It also came at potentially the ideal time, as not only are Ducati running out of patience with Bagnaia’s excuses for his problems on the GP25 but the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello is next. The Turin native will be raring to show he can still win the title at his and Ducati’s home race.
It could even worry Marquez if Pirro is right and Bagnaia gained a big mental boost from the Italian’s front brake disc change at Aragon. He could now go to Mugello with the confidence to beat the Spaniard and leave no doubt that he is still a threat to win the 2025 riders’ title.
