Marquez confident rivalry with “gentleman” Bagnaia won’t spill off track

Marc Marquez believes he’ll proceed to get pleasure from a harmonious relationship with Francesco Bagnaia after becoming a member of him on the manufacturing facility Ducati team in MotoGP this yr.

Marquez’s transfer to the Italian marque alongside two-time champion Bagnaia has created the type of all-star line-up not seen in MotoGP since Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo teamed up at Yamaha within the early-to-mid 2010s.

Ducati is so far not worried about the potential ramifications of having two world champions in the same garage, with group boss Davide Tardozzi brushing apart any considerations about an inside rivalry that might disrupt the concord at Borgo Panigale.

Marquez additionally doesn’t assume there will likely be any fallout between him and Bagnaia throughout a season wherein the 2 are anticipated to duel for the title, with Ducati set to keep up its lead over different producers after a dominant 2024 marketing campaign.

The Spaniard insists that whereas Bagnaia is a “fighter” and can placed on a troublesome battle in opposition to him, each are previous and mature sufficient to work collectively as a group.

“Should you put two roosters in the identical pen at 22 or 25 years previous, it is unhealthy. It is a bomb. However he is 27 and I am 32,” the six-time MotoGP champion mentioned on Spanish TV present El Hormiguero. 

“Pecco is a gentleman, he is calm. Now we have labored collectively throughout the preseason, we have now shared many conversations to get the very best bike.

“However we each know that, from the primary race to the final, everybody will take care of their very own pursuits on the monitor. However then off the monitor? I do know the distinction. 

“Once I was 20-years-old, I could not inform the distinction. It was a matter of life and demise. Once I was 20, it was like now, however a bit worse. However this fashion, there’s unity inside the group. 

“Pecco is a gentleman, he by no means raises his voice or something. However then, on the monitor, he’s the fighter. If he has to place the bike in, as he has to, he will put it in. However that is how he’s.”

Marquez said that he had his eyes on becoming a member of the manufacturing facility Ducati group ever since he made the daring choice to go away Honda on the finish of the 2023 season, with a yr nonetheless left on his contract.

He now feels he lastly has a motorcycle with which he can add to the six premier class titles he achieved within the final decade and equal the tally of Rossi, his foe and former MotoGP rival.

“The choice to go away Honda was very troublesome, not due to the wage, however as a result of it’s important to make an trustworthy choice like this selfishly, searching for your self,” he recalled of his transfer to Gresini in 2024. 

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Picture by: Gresini Racing

“Crucial factor was that I used to be leaving the group of my life, my mates, and Honda, a wage. However the precedence was to reply to myself if I used to be nonetheless aggressive. 

“I be part of Gresini, I take a threat, as a result of it is like an funding in your racing profession. If I used to be aggressive, issues would occur. 

“That yr, I knew that contracts have been coming to an finish. And for those who did effectively at Gresini, you had an opportunity to go to a manufacturing facility group. 

“However it’s important to expose your self. For me, failure just isn’t exposing your self. If I fail, I’ll settle for what they are saying. However for me, failure just isn’t attempting. 

“I attempted, I did effectively, and now I am in one of the best group, the one I needed, with one of the best bike, and it is in my arms if I can win one other title.”