“Proud” of Marc Marquez, “painful” for Pecco: Ducati sums up its MotoGP season

A mixture of pride and pain is how Ducati MotoGP team manager Davide Tardozzi summed up the factory team’s season.

On the one hand, new signing Marc Marquez returned to the top of the world championship - for the first time since 2019 - with a dominant eleven victories from the 17 rounds he contested, plus 14 Sprints.

On the other hand, team-mate and double Ducati MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia rarely looked comfortable on the new GP25 and faded to fifth in the standings.

“We are very proud, because what Marc did is fantastic,” Tardozzi told MotoGP.com.

“Winning the championship and having the triple crown is something that makes us really proud about our engineers, our mechanics and mainly our riders.

“On the other hand, it's obvious that it's a shame that Pecco couldn't perform in the proper way, like we are sure he can.

“He did a good start to the season in some ways, he did an incredible race in Japan, but we faced problems in other races that prevented him performing how he can.

“So in the end we have a balance that is good, because we won everything. But we are really taking care of what is not working good, that is Pecco.”

Marc Marquez? “One of his best skills” is off the bike

Marquez’s seventh premier-class title - achieved despite missing the final four rounds due to injury - puts him level with Valentino Rossi and just one behind the all-time record by Giacomo Agostini.

“I always said during the season that the first thing that impressed me about Marc is the guy, the boy - still a boy for me! - much more than the rider and the professional person,” said Tardozzi.

“I think that the humanity, the way how he leads his group, how he works with his engineers and his mechanics is something that honestly I never saw before and I think that this is one of his best skills.

“We have nothing to say about the professional rider because it was perfect in every moment, even when he made mistakes he was recovering and speaking in the proper way.

"So no doubt that he makes us very, very happy about choosing him last year.”

Pecco? “Painful is the right word”

Bagnaia’s season began with frustration at being unable to fight the Marquez brothers - then deteriorated, despite a spectacular spike in form at Motegi and Sepang.

“Painful. Painful is the right word because I love Pecco,” said Tardozzi. 

“Pecco is one of the most - or the most - important rider so far for Ducati because he won two titles for us and 31 races so he deserves our maximum help.

“Sometimes we were not able to give him, but in other way, we know that we try hard and Gigi, all Ducati Corse try hard to solve this problem.

“But for some way he didn't find the right feeling with this bike this year, but we are looking forward and working together with him to try to have a completely different 2026.”