Marc Márquez’s strategy: to 'sabotage' Bagnaia with the GP25

Marc Marquez has returned to training on a motorcycle and will soon get back on his Ducati Panigale. The MotoGP champion wants to return to peak form ahead of the Sepang test, to fine-tune the new Desmosedici GP26. Meanwhile, a new theory is circulating about the Cervera rider and the choice of the GP25...

In a sport like MotoGP, where thousandths matter and decisions are made in a split second, Marc Marquez seems to have established himself as a great strategist. When he arrived in the Ducati garage, he knew his first rival would be Pecco Bagnaia, who was struggling with the GP25 right from the first winter tests. With a move that can be described as brilliantly calculated, #93 is said to have delegated the development of the bike to his teammate, who was in serious difficulty.

Many insiders, including Marquez himself, have suggested that the previous model, the GP24, had strengths that the new bike failed to replicate, especially under braking. More than once, Bagnaia has complained about front-end issues, echoed by the Cervera phenomenon and by Di Giannantonio. Nothing that could hinder Marc’s march toward the MotoGP title!

In a recent interview, Chris Vermeulen shared a theory that could shake the very foundations of Ducati’s team dynamics. Marquez supposedly realized right away that the GP25 was not faster than the GP24, but that it put the Chivasso rider in trouble. "Marc realized that the 2025 bike was not better than the 2024, but he knew he could ride it, whereas Pecco could not." In other words, the new arrival at Ducati may have deliberately pressured Ducati to secure the GP25 for himself, knowing it could tip the scales in his favor.

Although Vermeulen’s theory will never be confirmed, its implications are astounding. It may be that Marc Marquez intentionally chose a “weaker” bike to put Bagnaia in difficulty. It wouldn’t be a far-fetched theory. In fact, in the documentary ‘All In,’ the nine-time world champion admitted to having deliberately made wrong decisions during his years at Honda to gain an advantage over Dani Pedrosa.

With that in mind, the next MotoGP season will be revealing. Pecco cannot afford more mistakes, nor can he be the author of such a disastrous year. Should we expect a titanic battle between teammates, or will the rider market take unpredictable turns...