Marc Marquez's arrival in the official Ducati Lenovo box in 2025 coincided with a crisis for Pecco Bagnaia. With 171 points for Marquez (leader, 6 Sprint wins, 3 GP wins) versus 120 points for Bagnaia (1 win in Austin after Marquez's crash), the gap is clear. Dani Pedrosa, three-time world champion (125cc 2003, 250cc 2004-2005) and KTM test rider, delivered a powerful analysis, pointing to psychological and media factors behind Bagnaia's setbacks.
There is an almost palpable tension in the box Ducati. It doesn't come from the Desmosedici's engine, but from the dull sound of a power shift. Since the arrival of Marc Marquez in the red stable, Pecco Bagnaia seems to be walking a tightrope, his status as double world champion brutally challenged. And according to Dani Pedrosa, the problem is not mechanical, but mental.
Ducati wanted to bring two "roosters" together in the same henhouse. And it doesn't seem to be going well. Pecco, previously the undisputed leader of the Borgo Panigale technical project, finds himself sharing space—and especially the spotlight—with a Marc Marquez who, from the first GPs, displayed his domination as if he had never left the summit.
« There are two aspects: the psychological aspect and the media aspect. All this comes from the fact that Ducati chooses Marquez, that Ducati wants to create, let's say, an atmosphere where there are two "roosters." Pecco finds himself in an uncomfortable situation, where he asks himself: "Why am I here with Marc?" I think that it's not easy to digest ", said Pedrosaas reported Motosan.
It's more than a rivalry: it's a symbolic fracture in the narrative that Ducati was building around bagnaia, that of the house champion, polite, meticulous, perfect ambassador of the Italian method.
Dani Pedrosa: “ Pecco Bagnaia must be asking himself: "How does he do it or why does he do it and I don't?"«
Pedrosa explains it finely: “ Marc Marquez can ride fast on any setup. Pecco Bagnaia needs a bike that's tailor-made for him.. Marc and Pecco have two different styles. Marc can have a bike with a certain springs or a particular suspension setting, then with a completely different setting, and achieve the same lap time. Pecco, himself, has a style that demands that the bike is exactly as he likes itAnd if we change, it may be slower or have more difficulty achieving certain times.. »
And that's where it all comes down to. Marc Marquez improvise. Pecco Bagnaia executes. The problem? When chaos sets in — like at Le Mans in the rain - It is Marc which shines, while Pecco doubt, lose contact, fall.
The GP25 has become a playground for Marc, While Pecco seems to be fighting against a tool that slips through his fingers. And when the tool becomes his rival's weapon... it's silent humiliation. Mechanics become personal... " When reality sets in and Marc starts getting fast laps, pole positions, wins, etc. etc., you move on to the next phase: “How does he do it or why does he do it and I don’t?” And then, maybe, your eyes start looking in that direction and you try to understand better the situation with Marc, how he manages to do certain things. »
This isn't just a bad patch. It's an existential crisis. Pecco isn't just outperformed in points (171 for Marc, 120 for him), he's outperformed in confidence, authority, and storytelling. Marquez takes up space, and bagnaia seems to shrivel in the shadow of a teammate he never asked for.
« He suffers more from Ducati's decision to keep Marc in his box ", summary PedrosaA sentence that says a lot.
What happens next? It will depend on bagnaiaEither he transforms this crisis into inner fire, or he becomes a worthy, but eclipsed, champion. Dani Pedrosa, he has known this role of eternal number 2. He knows what it is like to share a box with Marc MarquezHe saw the damage. And today, he's sounding the alarm for Pecco. Because at Ducati, the king is no longer alone. And the throne does not wait.
