Fellow Ducati rider shoots down suspicion about Marc Marquez’s bike

Any lingering questions about the uniqueness of Marc Marquez’s Ducati have been dismissed.

Fabio di Giannantonio is the only other Ducati GP25 rider, outside of the factory team, on this year’s MotoGP grid.

Marquez’s incredible ability to extract so much more from his package had led to unsubstantiated theories about whether his bike was unique.

During his Honda heyday, they were accused of developing a bike specifically suited to Marquez - which assisted him in winning championships, but made the lives of his teammates even harder.

That is not happening at Ducati, insists Di Giannantonio, despite the troubles of Marquez’s current teammate Pecco Bagnaia.

Theory about Marc Marquez's Ducati shot down

"The bikes are all the same, but you would have to ask Gigi Dall’Igna,” VR46 rider Di Giannantonio told AS.

"I think we have the riders, team and bike to be in the top three every Sunday. It's not presumption, but awareness.

"It is the one that wins, because it is the same as Marc's.

"This is a bike that has been developed in recent years by Pecco together with the test team and all the various factory riders that have been there.

“Marc has only now become an official rider, so I don't think that in two races he has revolutionised the bike and that suddenly we all have to ride like Marc Marquez.

"Marc is doing really well and is going very strong because he is a rider of enormous talent.

"This is a bike that has been world champion last year with Jorge Martin and two years before with Pecco. It's a bike that makes you win, even we won with it two years ago.

"To win you have to be more skilled than the others."

Marquez won the sprint race then finished as runner-up to LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco in the grand prix at Le Mans last time out.

Those results, coupled with Bagnaia’s inability to score, leaves him 22 points clear of his brother Alex Marquez at the top of the MotoGP standings.

Bagnaia, who has struggled with his front end feeling all season, is 51 points short of Marc’s total.