Francesco Bagnaia continued his impressive form last weekend in Assen, winning both the sprint and the Dutch MotoGP ahead of Jorge Martin.
But the spotlight ahead of the weekend was on Martin, particularly Marc Marquez, who will ride with Bagnaia in a’super team’ for Ducati in 2025.
Expecting pyrotechnics, TNT sports pundit Neil Hodgson shared his thoughts on next season’s probable clash.
Hodgson stated, “Pecco knows what’s coming. A big storm is coming. Marc usually takes over the garage and wants to rally everyone around him during celebrations.
“It’s going to be lot harder, because he’s effectively joining Pecco’s family. But Ducati likes winners, and as we all know, Ducati will go where the winner is.
“They will say, ‘We love, we love, we love,’ but he is now winning. Ducati management will face significant challenges in managing this situation. Normally, Marc wins in this case.
Hodgson wasn’t the only one talking about Marquez and Bagnaia; five-time world champion Mick Doohan also joined the chat.
Doohan told TNT Sports: “I think they are both strong personalities.” They have different personalities but have similar mindsets.
“I believe it is a triumph for Ducati. They will be able to improve the bike extremely nicely. It might make things more difficult for the other Ducati riders.
“Pecco is strong and will only get stronger. He is entering his peak, but Marc is returning from a severe injury and a period in which he was unsure what was going on. But they both know how to function separately, therefore Ducati will triumph.”
Despite being comfortable at Ducati and having the entire team behind him, Bagnaia is expected to face significant pressure from Marquez.
Doohan believes the reigning world champion will have a difficult time defending against Marquez.
“The Ducati team is showing that they can actually perform so I don’t think that’s going to be an issue for Marc,” asked Doohan.
“His goal this year is to improve on the 23 bike before moving on to the 25 bike.
“Obviously, they are the dominating manufacturer at the moment. He is currently in a positive frame of mind.
“Bagnaia has to perform at the end of the day, and he’s getting stronger and stronger. It won’t be easy for Marc, but neither will it be for Bagnaia.”