Ducati are enjoying new heights with Marc Marquez in the 2025 MotoGP season. In his first season wearing the famous red colours, he is already proving a dominant force.
Marquez joined the factory Ducati team from satellite outfit Gresini after defending champion Jorge Martin was snubbed for the seat. Riding the GP25, the six-time MotoGP champion has adapted seamlessly to the machine.
After 12 races in 2025 – including Sprints – the 32-year-old has claimed nine wins and four pole positions. Despite two crashes in Austin and Jerez, Marquez has a 22-point lead over brother Alex and a 51-point advantage over Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia heading into the British Grand Prix.
Marquez is being favoured over Bagnaia at Ducati as the latter struggles to adapt to the GP25. For most of the season, the former has been untouchable at the front.
Marquez is set to equal Valentino Rossi’s record of seven premier class titles and become the oldest champion in 2025. At 32 years old, many will wonder how many years he has left in MotoGP before retirement.
The question then will be who will take the vacant Ducati seat, with there being several options available for the manufacturer. Pedro Acosta is being linked to VR46 from KTM, which could offer a path to the factory team, but Luigi Dall’Igna should know he has the perfect rider already in the setup.
Luigi Dall’Igna should know that Fermin Aldeguer is the long-term replacement for Marc Marquez at Ducati
After a slow start to 2025, rookie Fermin Aldeguer is beginning to make a serious impression in MotoGP. Making the step up from Moto2 this season, the Spaniard is starting to challenge the frontrunners with Gresini.
The 20-year-old grabbed his first podiums in the premier class at Le Mans, finishing third at Le Mans in the Sprint and the Grand Prix. Aldeguer is even starting to outperform Bagnaia, highlighting his serious potential.
Dall’Igna ‘took a punt’ on the Spaniard in 2025, setting him low expectations for his rookie season. Journalist Val Khorounzhiy says Ducati have ‘understood the mission with Aldeguer, which has allowed him to flourish and set himself up to take the factory seat in the future over Acosta.
“Gigi Dall’Igna took a punt on him. Gigi Dall’Igna has put him in an environment where the pressure seems minimised, where again, remember the pre-season or was it the post-season or whatever, one of the tests, etc,” said Khorounzhiy via The Race MotoGP Podcast.
“And I went up to Dall’Igna and asked him about Aldeguer’s Moto2 season and his answer was: ‘We’re not worried at all. He’s going to be fine and we’ll just we’ll give him time to do what he needs to do’.
“And clearly that’s 100% the philosophy of Ducati, that they understood that the biggest obstacle to this, not a teenager anymore, but still pretty close, succeeding within our line-up, is just trying to like, doing something that doesn’t allow him to mentally flourish.
“And clearly they’ve understood the mission there completely. I think he now… nobody owes anybody anything, but he now owes them a bit of trust or at least should believe that they have the best interests of developing him in mind.
“That might change if there’s suddenly a play for Pedro Acosta taking place at some point or anything of the sort. But right now, this is a very symbiotic mutually agreeable partnership.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Fermin Aldeguer with his rise to MotoGP and height
How Pedro Acosta could be providing ‘extra motivation’ for Fermin Aldeguer in 2025
Acosta and Aldeguer are the future stars of MotoGP. Both 20 years old and from the same region of Spain, the duo have serious potential to be a success in the premier class.
Acosta has more experience, with an excellent rookie season in 2024 already under his belt. But after six rounds in 2024, Aldeguer has the advantage as he sits just two points ahead of the KTM rider.
Aldeguer is distancing himself from Acosta due to a clash in personalities. The pair are not too fond of each other having been rivals in Moto2; it could be heightened if the latter does join Ducati with VR46 in 2026.
Aldeguer is getting ‘extra motivation’ from Acosta to prove he is not the ‘world’s star’ in MotoGP. So far, he is getting the better of him, with Davide Tardozzi tipping Aldeguer as ‘the future’.
