Francesco Bagnaia dismisses Valentino Rossi’s theory that Marc Marquez is behind Ducati’s struggles

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Bagnaia addresses Rossi’s theory about Ducati’s struggles.

Francesco Bagnaia has responded to Valentino Rossi’s claim that his issues at Ducati have come as a result of Marc Marquez’s prowess on equal machinery.

Bagnaia struggled last season, even though he was riding the same bike that Marc Marquez made look so dominant. It ended up being his toughest year since joining the team in 2021.

He tried turning things around by seeking advice from everyone he could, including Casey Stoner, who offered tips that helped him at Motegi but didn’t lead to a lasting improvement.

Rossi recently joined other Hall of Famers for a discussion where he suggested that Bagnaia was “psychologically” affected by how well Marquez handled the Ducati last season.

How Francesco Bagnaia reacted to claims from Valentino Rossi

Ahead of the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring, Bagnaia denied any psychological impact stemming from Marquez’s performance. Francesco Bagnaia says he didn’t ‘suffer’ because of Marc Marquez in response to Valentino Rossi.

Bagnaia was asked about Rossi’s comments during an interview with GPOne ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Italian, who has consistently dismissed any suggestion that Ducati favoured their factory riders, also pushed back against the idea that Márquez was to blame for his struggles.

“Marc came along and dominated,” Bagnaia said. “There’s nothing you can say to him. I couldn’t get to grips with a bike that had changed from the previous year, when it was perfect.

“I was in real trouble; I didn’t suffer because of Marc, but because I couldn’t fulfil my potential.”

Reflecting on whether he took anything away from last season during the winter break, Bagnaia added: “You always learn. What I’ve realised is that I can be competitive when the bike has potential.

“I’m working on learning to give more of myself when it has shortcomings, as happened in Thailand or throughout last year.”

Aprilia’s strong start raises questions about Ducati’s prospects this season

While Bagnaia’s year did have a win at COTA and three other podium finishes, it opened with familiar issues. He still couldn’t get the best out of the factory-spec Ducati.

That was not the case for Aprilia. Marco Bezzecchi led the way, taking home first place in the Grand Prix. All four of Aprilia’s riders finished inside the top five by the end of the race.

Pol Espargaro now thinks Ducati may have reached their limit in MotoGP. After years of dominating, they might not hold on much longer in what will be their final season under this set of rules.