“The man to beat” in 2025, a “future” champ and a key contender tipped to fail
Prediction involving Marc Marquez provided for 2025
A set of predictions for the 2025 MotoGP season have been delivered - and it hints at bad news for the new champion.
The 2025 MotoGP rider line-up features a much-changed cast, with champ Jorge Martin swapping Ducati for Aprilia.
Marc Marquez upgrades his year-old Ducati for a factory seat alongside the brand’s star Pecco Bagnaia in a duo who are both expected to fight at the front - probably against each other.
“Marquez will be the man to beat,” Marco Melandri told GPOne.
“When he has to be there, he’s there. He doesn’t make mistakes and even when rides go badly he straightens them out.
“He crashes more than the others but he does it when he can afford to, which is in practice.
“The GP23 was far from the GP24 but no-one else got ahead of him with last year’s bike. It is an important yardstick.
“Should Martin get the better of him, for Pecco it could be a boost, a stimulus for the response, likewise it could give him the knowledge that he is beatable.
“However, I think Marc will reap his rewards.”
Jorge Martin ruled out
Champion Martin will pay the price for stepping onto the less competitive Aprilia, Melandri believes.
“Next year, no,” Melandri said.
“I honestly don’t think they can close such a significant gap on Ducati, or at any rate to do it within a season.
“The last time that the Aprilia won was in Barcelona, but the Desmosedici was close.
“Jorge is not Maverick Vinales or Aleix Espargaro, however I don’t expect to see him fight for success.”
MotoGP’s next star tipped
Pedro Acosta will eventually become a star in MotoGP, but probably not in 2025, Melandri insists.
Asked if Acosta could contend this year, Melandri said: “If the bike improves, yes.
“At the moment KTM is not having a golden moment in general so it will not be easy.
“But in my opinion, he is the future.”
Melandri added about Acosta: “With Vinales and Enea Bastianini in the team, we will see his level.
“But if he had a Ducati, he would already be fighting at the front.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
