Marc Marquez “a different ballgame” as team-mate, “can it ever be harmonious”?

MotoGP in 2025 will reach new heights when it comes to star-studded line-ups within factory teams.

Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta will spearhead KTM’s Red Bull KTM team, while Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi will lead the Aprilia Racing project.

But the duo that will have all eyes firmly placed upon them is Lenovo Ducati, with Marc Marquez joining Francesco Bagnaia.

Marquez, who since entering MotoGP has never been beaten by a team-mate when he’s taken part in a full/half season, is stepping into Bagnaia’s team after the Italian won the last two MotoGP titles.

Bagnaia did not want Ducati to release either of his previous two teammates, including Enea Bastianini, and that’s because he had ‘those guys covered’, According to MotoGP commentator Birt.

Speaking about the dynamic of Bagnaia and Marquez as teammates, Birt told Foxsports: “Pecco was always championing Jack and Enea as his teammates because he knew he had those guys covered.

“But Marc … you are talking about a different ballgame. Pecco has always talked about this harmonious environment in the Ducati garage … can it ever be harmonious when you’re teammates with Marc Marquez?

“Pecco will know the history between Marc and Valentino [Rossi], and I’m sure there’s been conversations between the master and his star pupil … I’m sure Rossi has said ‘look, this guy is going to try to mess you around’, because that’s what Marc does to his teammates.

“Pecco will embrace this now it’s happened, because he knows that if he beats Marquez in the next couple of years, he’ll be rightly considered one of the all-time greats.

“While he was hesitant to have Marc as a teammate, he’ll also look on this as a chance to show how good he is himself.

“When you look at the names on the all-time wins list and championships, he’s already so highly regarded – but if he beats Marc on the same bike in the same team, then chapeau.

“You’d have to take your hat off to him, because that will show he’s truly an all-time great.”

Birt also sees the same ruthless Marquez as before since joining Ducati.

It’s clear that the performance issues Honda had held Marquez back, who since joining Gresini has looked back to his best.

Birt added: “I don’t think the ruthless streak ever left him – he’s just not been competitive enough for us to see it for the past couple of years,” Birt reasons.

“Marc’s one of the smartest and most intelligent of playing all aspects of the game, the psychological warfare.

“He took complete control of the rider market himself. He outfoxed the entire grid and backed Ducati into a corner. Within 24 hours Marc had turned everything around in his favour.

“For Ducati, the temptation of working with Marquez and seeing what he could do in the factory team was too much, and the risk of losing him … they’ve seen the data the rest of us haven’t and seen how good he is on a year-old bike, and thought ‘we cannot not let him go’.

“Ducati were happier cutting Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini loose, because letting that level of talent go to another manufacturer when you know how good he is would have been ridiculous.”