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 unit 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 thus far not frightened concerning the potential ramifications of getting two world champions in the identical storage, with crew boss Davide Tardozzi brushing apart any issues about an inner rivalry that might disrupt the concord at Borgo Panigale.

Marquez additionally doesn’t assume there will probably be any fallout between him and Bagnaia throughout a season through which 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The Spaniard insists that whereas Bagnaia is a “fighter” and can placed on a tricky struggle towards him, each are outdated and mature sufficient to work collectively as a crew.

“If you happen to put two roosters in the identical pen at 22 or 25 years outdated, it is dangerous. 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. We have now labored collectively throughout the preseason, we now have shared many conversations to get the absolute 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. 

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

“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’ll put it in. However that is how he’s.”

Marquez acknowledged that he had his eyes on becoming a member of the manufacturing unit Ducati crew 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 motorbike 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 tough, not due to the wage, however as a result of it’s a must to make an sincere choice like this selfishly, looking for your self,” he recalled of his transfer to Gresini in 2024. 

“Crucial factor was that I used to be leaving the crew of my life, my buddies, 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 in the event you did nicely at Gresini, you had an opportunity to go to a manufacturing unit crew. 

“However it’s a must 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 nicely, and now I am in the very best crew, the one I needed, with the very best bike, and it is in my palms if I can win one other title.”