Marquez assured rivalry with “gentleman” Bagnaia will not spill off-track

Marc Marquez believes he’ll proceed to take pleasure in a harmonious relationship with Francesco Bagnaia after becoming a member of him on the manufacturing unit Ducati team in MotoGP this 12 months.

Marquez’s transfer to the Italian marque alongside two-time champion Bagnaia has created the form 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 up to now not anxious concerning the potential ramifications of getting two world champions in the identical storage, with crew boss Davide Tardozzi brushing apart any considerations about an inner rivalry that might disrupt the concord at Borgo Panigale.

Marquez additionally doesn’t assume there will likely be any fallout between him and Bagnaia throughout a season during 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 troublesome battle towards him, each are previous and mature sufficient to work collectively as a crew.

“Should you put two roosters in the identical pen at 22 or 25 years previous, it is unhealthy. 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’ve got labored collectively through the preseason, we’ve got shared many conversations to get the absolute best bike.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Crew

Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Photographs

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“However we each know that, from the primary race to the final, everybody will take care of their very own pursuits on the observe. However then off the observe? 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 may be unity throughout the crew. 

“Pecco is a gentleman, he by no means raises his voice or something. However then, on the observe, 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 determination to depart Honda on the finish of the 2023 season, with a 12 months 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 depart Honda was very troublesome, not due to the wage, however as a result of it’s a must to make an sincere determination like this selfishly, searching for your self,” he recalled of his transfer to Gresini in 2024. 

“An important factor was that I used to be leaving the crew of my life, my mates, 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 danger, as a result of it is like an funding in your racing profession. If I used to be aggressive, issues would occur. 

“That 12 months, I knew that contracts have been coming to an finish. And in the event you did properly 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 shouldn’t be exposing your self. If I fail, I’ll settle for what they are saying. However for me, failure shouldn’t be making an attempt. 

“I attempted, I did properly, and now I am in the very best crew, the one I needed, with the very best bike, and it is in my arms if I can win one other title.”