Ahead of the 2025 MotoGP season TNT Sports MotoGP Presenter, Neil Hodgson, has had his say on Ducati's factory lineup of Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia.

Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia have been picked as the favourites to win the 2025 MotoGP title as the season approaches.

The Ducati factory team has assembled what they are calling a 'Dream Team' with the goal of dominating the Championship.

Neil Hodgson, TNT Sports MotoGP pundit, was asked by BSN whether he believes that the title fight will be exclusively between Marquez and Bagnaia.

“It is quite difficult to answer at this point obviously, I mean we have had two tests, it is quite a short pre-season really,” Hodgson told BSN in an exclusive interview.

“We have been unlucky that Jorge Martin crashed straight away at the very first pre-season test. A man who you would have to say after winning the world title last year and the way it looks like the new Aprilia is going, you would put him in the mix.

“But I guess at this point before the season kicks off, and if I were to answer it honestly, I would say it is between Marc [Marquez] and Pecco [Bagnaia]. I think it could be a two-horse race, it could be all about the factory Ducati team.

“The only good news is that the new 2025 Ducati appears to not be a step forward. In fact, it looks like they are going to run the 2024 Ducati. The biggest fear for us all was that Ducati’s new bike would be another step again. Imagine if they found three-tenths of a second, all of a sudden you’ve got them breaking away from the rest of the field.

“The good news is, at least the new bike is no better.”

"I still think Ducati has the advantage... Ducati had a 0.4-second advantage, they have probably only come down to 0.3."

The big news which dominated the headlines across the Buriram Test was Ducati’s choice of engines for the 2025 season.

Bagnaia, Marquez, and Fabio di Giannantonio were all affected by the Italian manufacturer's decision to abandon its GP25 engines in favour of the GP24 version.

Considering Ducati’s dominance in 2024 should they be concerned that they are using a year-old engine?

“From the little bit of testing that we have had it looks like Yamaha has made a small step forward, Honda has made a small step forward, Aprilia has made a small step forward, and KTM looks like they have probably not. 

“But I still think Ducati has the advantage. Going into pre-season testing I would say Ducati had a 0.4-second advantage, they have probably only come down to 0.3. 

“But there is going to be the engine freeze now. I think Ducati have not panicked but they have tried the new 25 [engine], it is a grey area if it is better or not, I think they have just gone better the devil you know, let’s stick with the 24 engine. We know how good it was, so I believe that is what has happened.”

“Ducati will have their hands full because they will meet on the track at the same point..."

The MotoGP paddock has seen its fair share of intense rivalries, but the Valentino Rossi - Jorge Lorenzo teammate rivalry stands out.

Throughout Rossi and Lorenzo's time as teammates at Yamaha, a wall was constructed between the two title contenders.

TNT Sports MotoGP pundit, Hodgson, expects some 'spicy' on-track battles between Marquez and Bagnaia, but doesn't believe the new duo will have to be separated.

“I don’t think we will see a wall," Hodgson stated.

"They are both super bright individuals and will play the game really well. They will both work as hard off the track and in the garage to make sure they are the number one in the team. 

“Marc [Marquez] is very good at that, not many people realise that. Everyone is well aware of his ability on track, but he is like a master manipulator off it. He is really good at turning people and getting them on his side so he will be working hard at that. 

“Ducati will have their hands full because they will meet on the track at the same point. They are both two incredible Champions. Bagnaia knows what is coming, he knows if at any point he gives way, sits up, and allows Marc [Marquez] to attack, he is done. 

“He is super bright and Pecco [Bagnaia] can be really aggressive, so we will see collisions between those two. I would not be surprised if we see them both on the deck at the same time, just like we did last year.

“I probably shouldn’t say this and you should not encourage people to crash, and the last thing I want to see is anybody get injured. But it does add a nice bit of spice and drama to what is a very long Championship!”

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