Pecco and Marc, the best

MOTOGPby the correspondent Riccardo GalliMADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO (Tn)

"I've been in the World Cup for a long time, I've experienced a sea of ​​emotions, but today, this time, I have butterflies in my stomach. The most important adventure of my career is starting". Here it is Marc Marquez in red. The red Ducati. And it really makes a strange impression to see him sitting and caressing the Desmosedici GP25. The bike with which he is desperate to return to being number one in the world. That the day of Madonna di Campiglio, which with the party of Champions on the Track turned the spotlight on Ducati's 2025, was and will remain an exciting day is felt even more, when next to King Marc's Desmo you see the other Rossa, that of Pecco Bagnaia. He who, as the CEO of Borgo Panigale, Claudio Domenicali, proudly points out, is doing special things with Ducati and who above all brought the title of World Champion back to Ducati. All this in… Italian. In the Italian language. Yes, because Ducati (and the main sponsor Lenovo) had fun, with the help of artificial intelligence, making the two riders explain to the world how ambitious the Reds are. So Pecco (in a video on the big screen) seemed to speak fluent Arabic and Marc an excellent native Chinese speaker.

"I'm always excited - says Pecco, returning to reality - when a season begins. But above all I'm ready to start again. I can't wait to get back on track. I spent the winter thinking about what I didn't do well in 2024 to not take the title. I also worked during my honeymoon, because I'm lucky enough to have Domizia, a special wife. Our path, that of the Ducati family, has certainly been excellent: 19 races won out of 20 is something incredible but... but just 10 points of difference were enough to decide who was number one and so that's where I have to and want to work. I've done a lot, but the cherry on top wasn't there".

Bagnaia and Marquez: teammates, a dream team, which Ducati wanted and built at all costs with a clear, very clear objective. "We want to win the riders' title again – say Domenicali and Gigi Dall'Igna – we want to win the constructors' and teams' world championships… In short, we aim to win everything, even if there will be significant competition. But Ducati is presenting itself at the world championship with the two strongest riders in the world".

The word goes back to Marquez. "I start this adventure with the same desire to win and fight that I have always had. I want to have fun. I want to always get the most. For me, being back in a factory team, an official team is really the ultimate challenge. I know the Ducati well. I had to try to beat it many times. I have always thought that this bike is a very strong bike and racing the World Championship with it will be a double satisfaction".

Bagnaia listens to his new teammate attentively. He smiles and willingly comments on the definition of 'dream team' with which the new Ducati team is labeled. "Well - he says - putting together 11 world titles (8 for Marc and 3 for Bagnaia, ed.) seems like an excellent calling card to me. Having said that, we will have tough opponents. KTM with Bastianini will be very fast, Aprilia has changed a lot, they have a new and combative team with two riders, Martin and Bezzecchi, from the World Championship".

This time it is Marquez who listens carefully to Pecco's statements. He, Marc, arrived in Ducati with a market move that is very reminiscent of Hamilton's landing in Ferrari. "I don't know if you can make a comparison like this - Bagnaia underlines - even if one thing is certain: racing in red, Ducati or Ferrari, is always the best".

Closing for the Ducati ds, Tardozzi who gets in the middle of Pecco and Marc and says: "Having them here and together means aiming for the maximum. Aiming to win. Will there be fibrillations during the season? I really don't think so. Bagnaia and Marquez are two champions and two good guys. We'll have fun, I'm sure of that".