It looks like it’s going to be a tough season for Francesco Bagnaia, and to add to everything, Bagnaia won’t be able to rely on Valentino Rossi for backup.

Even though Rossi has expressed his desire to be more involved in the MotoGP 2025 paddock, especially with his VR46 team, his star rider, Bagnaia, is facing a major challenge named Marc Marquez. Marquez has just joined the Factory Ducati team and is already proving to be a serious threat.

Marquez made a statement at the season opener in Thailand—he is here to win. He dominated the sprint and the majority of the Grand Prix, showing that he is back at his best. If Marquez manages to win the title this year, he will match Rossi’s nine world championships.

Yet, MotoGP expert Sylvain Guintoli isn’t convinced that Rossi can do much to help Bagnaia in this fight. “Pecco knows exactly what he has to do,” Guintoli told TNT Sports. “If I were him, I’d be worried. Last year, Marc was already battling with him on an older bike from a private team. Now, he’s on the best bike in the field.”

It’s clear that for Bagnaia—who delivered Ducati’s first title since 2007—this will be a tough challenge, especially with such a strong competitor in the same garage. “It’s a tough situation for Pecco,” Guintoli continued. “No rider wants someone as strong as Marquez on the same bike with access to the same data.”

But despite the pressure, Guintoli still believes that Bagnaia has something special: “If he has another level, we’ll see it this year.”

Season Ahead: MotoGP Analyst’s View

Neil Hodgson, another MotoGP analyst, doesn’t believe that Marquez will automatically crush Bagnaia. “Pecco is still learning and growing as a rider,” Hodgson said. “This is going to be an incredible battle. Early on, they’ll both fight to establish themselves as the team’s number one.”

He also dismissed the idea that Bagnaia might be intimidated. “If Pecco lets Marc push him around on track, it will never stop,” he warned. “He knows that and won’t give Marquez an inch. His best chance is to be ‘perfect Pecco’—qualify on pole, take the lead, and execute flawless races.”

However, it’s still too early to make any conclusions. We’ve only seen one Grand Prix so far, and there are many more to come. Bagnaia will need to deliver his own perfect weekends, and if he does, we could be in for a very exciting season.