Marc Marquez is walking on water in 2025. Seven consecutive doubles, 455 points already on the clock, a 175-point lead... the eight-time champion makes the competition look ridiculous. But behind the dizzying statistics lies a disturbing question: what if Ducati fell into the same trap as Honda, that of an absolute dependence on its alien?
The Honda syndrome that hangs over Borgo Panigale
We know the story: Honda built a calibrated RC213V for Marquez, and too bad if the other riders sank. Result: an unbeatable bike in his hands... and a nightmare for the rest of the paddock. When the injuries stopped Marc, HRC collapsed.
Today, some see Ducati reproduce the same pattern. Simon Patterson (The Race) is very clear:
« I think Ducati will have to be very careful over the next 18 months.. Because this looks like the beginning of the problems encountered at Honda. (…) This driver is totally indifferent to the problems encountered by other drivers. Result: the motorcycle is taking a potentially insurmountable direction for everyone »
Translation : Ducati no matter how dominant she is, she might be forging a machine just for MarquezAnd history shows how dangerous that is.
Ducati could wake up with the same hangover as Honda
Pecco Bagnaia, a two-time MotoGP champion, is now a ghost of his former self. Only one victory this season, 227 points behind and a Ducati GP25 that he cannot tame. Worse still: the GP25 seems made for Marquez, accustomed to unstable Ducatis from the front, while Pecco needs a strong front end.
Result: the number 1 sinks into the crisis and gives the impression of a pilot crushed by the machine Ducati-MarquezThe paradox is that Ducati sells its supremacy to the whole world… but perhaps shoots itself in the foot.
Because it is becoming more and more evident that only one motorcycle, that of Marc Marquez shines. The other drivers Ducati are struggling in the shadows. Development risks becoming stuck in a “one man – one motorcycle” logic.
It's the perfect illusion: the Italian coat of arms is gaining in MotoGP, but could lose its technical balance and its talent pool. For now, the tifosi are jubilant and Desmosedici reigns. But if Ducati continues to kneel before its new messiah, history could repeat itself: a brilliant but fragile empire, built on a single pilot. And the day when Marquez will no longer be there… Borgo Panigale could wake up with the same hangover as Honda.
