Bagnaia faces tough challenge from Marquez at Italian MotoGP

Francesco Bagnaia faces a stern test at the Italian MotoGP 2025 taking place at Mugello Circuit this weekend — competition with his teammate Marc Marquez continues to intensify.

The Ducati rider has recorded subpar performance compared to Marquez who recently joined the Italian factory team. From eight races this season, Bagnaia has claimed only one main race victory — in contrast to Marquez who has already secured four top podium finishes.

This performance gap is reflected in the championship standings, where Marquez leads with 233 points — 93 points ahead of Bagnaia who sits in third position.

“How will Bagnaia test himself this weekend? In the previous race he made progress because in the sprint race it was very bad, very bad for him,” said Alex Barros, former rival of Valentino Rossi.

Despite facing pressure, Bagnaia has shown signs of improvement with a third-place finish at Aragon GP — following two consecutive pointless races.