‘I have to fight for the title’

Marc Marquez has admitted that he must fight for the 2025 MotoGP title as he joins the factory Ducati team to partner Francesco Bagnaia.

The Spaniard is stepping up to MotoGP’s benchmark team in 2025 after ending a 1,000-day barren streak and winning three races with Gresini Racing on a year-old Ducati.

It places him in a similar situation to what he faced in 2013 when he made his highly-anticipated MotoGP debut as a fresh-faced 20-year-old rookie.

While the six-time champion is a lot more careful about setting targets this time around, he acknowledged that there is a lot of pressure on him to live up to the expectations.

“In 2013 it wasn’t realistic, I wasn’t aware of where I was,” he said during Monday’s 2025 bike launch.

“And now, almost 32 years old, you’re realistic about what MotoGP is, what being in a factory team means, and what it means to be in the leading team of the moment. 

“You notice it much more, but obviously, in 2013 it was all overwhelming, everything was a gift. Now I still have butterflies in my stomach, but I’m very realistic about what wearing these colours entails.”

Asked what being in a factory team entails, he replied: “It entails fighting for a title. In the end, when you and the leading factory of the moment bet on you, you have this pressure to try to fight for a title. 

“I’ve said it, the main objective is to be in the top three, but why? Because if you’re in the top three, it means you’ve fought for the title, but obviously being in this team comes with that pressure that you then have to manage and logically bring as many points as possible home.”

Marquez managed to beat Enea Bastianini to third in the 2024 standings with Gresini despite being on a year-old Ducati and not having a factory around him.

He said finishing inside the top-three in the championship has to be his main target again this year, even though his eyes are set on a seventh premier class title to add to the six he achieved at Honda between 2013-19.

“Try to be in the top three at the end of the championship, that will be the main target,” he said. “Of course we will try to keep the focus on the title, but the main target is top three.”

Bagnaia was asked if he sees himself and Marquez being the main contenders for the 2025 title in response to Marquez’s comments that a top-three finish would suffice.

The two-time champion began by saying that “When you are wearing the red jersey, the leather, he knows…”, only for Marquez to interrupt and add: “…you need to challenge, if not another one [rider] will take your bike.”