Who's stopping Ducati? Bagnaia-Marquez, a duel for history. But watch out for Bezzecchi and Acosta

Just a few hours until the lights go out in Thailand for the start of the 2025 MotoGP World Championship. The all-conquering Ducati manufacturers' title is up for grabs, 19 out of 20 GPs in 2024, and above all Jorge Martin's crown, obtained with Ducati Pramac and then brought to Aprilia. The Spaniard is the unfortunate protagonist of the last month: for him, plasters and stitches for two operations, first on his right hand, then on his left arm, for two falls, respectively in the tests in Malaysia and in training. A much more than handicapped start for the rider called upon to discover the true potential of the Aprilia to try to undermine the Ducatis. From the pre-season tests, the only objective ranking, an indisputable reality emerged: the Desmosedici remain ahead of everyone. With a margin. Perhaps a little reduced compared to the past, also because in the meantime the Borgo Panigale bikes have gone from eight to six on the grid due to the Pramac team's move under the wing of Yamaha, but they remain the reference on the track.

Ducati's superiority is so marked that it can afford the luxury of throwing away (in a good way, eh) the 2025 bike, with greater potential, but difficult to extract in the short term, to "settle" for making the most of last season's highly tuned GP24 which becomes a GP25 thanks to some electronics and suspension modifications. The two roosters in red, Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez are expected to have a thrilling head-to-head. The Spaniard, good at shielding himself and shifting the pressure onto the others, however has the grin of someone who knows he is in the right place to regain a title that he has been missing since 2019. Bagnaia will want to prevent him. He, the master of the Ducati garage, has the pressure of having to stand up to a teammate who has never been so cumbersome, but also the caliber to demonstrate that he can do it. Both will have to limit their mistakes: Marc's slips while searching for the limit and Pecco's falls due to a lack of lucidity in the race, a fatal sin last year, could be lethal.

Behind them, keep an eye on Alex Marquez with the GP24 of the Gresini team, finally at such levels, in terms of lap and pace, that he doesn't have to be constantly repeated that he is the "brother of", but also on Franco Morbidelli who is the only Ducati rider who hasn't changed bikes (GP24) and seems encouraged by being able to race in his home team, the VR46 where he grew up: his will be a key season to understand if the best is behind him or if he can nurture ambitions. His teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio has the wild card of the only other official Ducati besides those of the factory team, but the limit of having lost four fifths of the tests due to an unexpected fall. He can fight for the podium, but he starts chasing and doesn't seem to be the first pursuer. For the role of "first of the others" two names should be noted: Marco Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta.

Bez, who left the VR46 fold, has taken over the development of the Aprilia, orphaned by Martin, with personality and speed: this could be the great opportunity for a leap in quality. The Spanish starlet has the audacity and skills to compete for the top positions. Much of his performance will depend on the quality of the developments that KTM can guarantee in a delicate phase: the Group's creditors have accepted the debt restructuring plan, but the climate remains uncertain. The new arrivals, Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini (Tech3), could be particularly affected, as they have to adapt to a very different bike from the ones they had before. Japanese hopes The Japanese Yamaha and Honda have grown a bit, also thanks to massive concessions, with peaks from Iwata and a slight progression from the Tokyo manufacturer. Fabio Quartararo showed some flashes of podium in Malaysia, only to return to the parameters of the top 10 in Thailand: we await the counter-proof in a development process in which there is also the contribution of the Pramac team, a certain growth driver. Finally, Honda has given signs of ascent, both to aspire to the top 10, and to reinvigorate the riders. Joan Mir seems reassured and confident and Luca Marini determined to reap the long seeding: for both it will be a crossroads in their careers.