Latest news with #GP25
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Marc Marquez banking on Ducati for first Austrian GP win
Marc Marquez has never won the Austrian Grand Prix, having been beaten by a red Ducati to the chequered flag on three occasions, but the Spaniard believes this year could be different. Though Marquez won many world titles with Honda, he finished second at the Red Bull Ring three years in a row from 2017-2019, twice behind Andrea Dovizioso and once behind Jorge Lorenzo, both of whom rode for Ducati at the time. Marquez has not finished on the podium in Austria since 2019 but as he arrives from the summer break with a 120-point lead over his brother Alex in the championship, the Ducati rider is seeking his ninth win of the season. "It was super close for many years here in Austria. I always lose against red bikes, with the amazing Dovizioso and amazing Lorenzo. But now I'm riding the red bike.! So let's see if we can fight for the victory," Marquez told reporters on Thursday. "Of course, starting the second part of the season with a 120-point advantage, the only one who can lose the championship is you. "I will need to control myself in some races because you cannot be the fastest out there in every session, every practice and every race." Though Marquez has the strongest bike on the grid, so does his teammate Francesco Bagnaia, who is unbeaten in Austria since 2022. "He won the last three years here, so I believe he will be fast," Marquez said. "He brakes super hard and it's one of the circuits why he won a lot, because the brake point is super important." Bagnaia, however, has struggled with braking on the GP25 bike and sits third in the standings - 168 points behind Marquez - with one win all season. The twice MotoGP champion spent the break watching races from seasons past to understand why he has struggled this year. "I'm looking forward to finding back my speed and fighting for wins because I rewatched many races from last year and the previous year, seeing how competitive I was in the fight, following others, overtaking, braking super hard," he said. "Watching this season, I was a completely different Pecco, nothing comparable. So I want to change this thing and be similar to last year."
The Star
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Motorcycling-Marquez banking on Ducati for first Austrian GP win
FILE PHOTO: MotoGP - Czech Republic Grand Prix - Masaryk Circuit, Brno, Czech Republic - July 20, 2025 Ducati Lenovo Team's Marc Marquez in action during the MotoGP race REUTERS/David W Cerny/File Photo (Reuters) -Marc Marquez has never won the Austrian Grand Prix, having bean beaten by a red Ducati to the chequered flag on three occasions, but the Spaniard believes this year could be different. Although Marquez won multiple world titles with Honda, he finished second at the Red Bull Ring three years in a row from 2017-2019, twice behind Andrea Dovizioso and once behind Jorge Lorenzo -- both of whom rode for Ducati at the time. Marquez has not finished on the podium in Austria since 2019 but as he arrives from the summer break with a 120-point lead over his brother Alex in the championship, the Ducati rider is seeking his ninth win of the season. "It was super close for many years here in Austria. I always lose against red bikes, with the amazing Dovizioso and amazing Lorenzo. But now I'm riding that red bike! So let's see if we can fight for the victory," Marquez told reporters on Thursday. "Of course, starting the second part of the season with a 120-point advantage, the only one that can lose the championship is you. "I will need to control myself in some races because you cannot be the fastest out there in every session, every practice and every race." Although Marquez has the strongest bike on the grid, so does his teammate Francesco Bagnaia who is unbeaten in Austria since 2022. "He won the last three years here, so I believe he will be fast," Marquez said. "He brakes super hard and it's one of the circuits why he won a lot, because the brake point is super important." Bagnaia, however, has struggled with the braking on the GP25 bike and sits third in the standings -- 168 points behind Marquez -- with one win all season. The twice MotoGP champion spent the break watching races from seasons past to understand why he has struggled this year. "I'm looking forward to finding back my speed and fighting for wins because I rewatched many races from last year and the previous year, seeing how competitive I was in the fight, following others, overtaking, braking super hard," he said. "And watching this season, I was a completely different Pecco - nothing comparable. So I want to change this thing and be similar to last year." (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru;, editing by Ed Osmond)
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Marquez banking on Ducati for first Austrian GP win
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Marc Marquez has never won the Austrian Grand Prix, having bean beaten by a red Ducati to the chequered flag on three occasions, but the Spaniard believes this year could be different. Although Marquez won multiple world titles with Honda, he finished second at the Red Bull Ring three years in a row from 2017-2019, twice behind Andrea Dovizioso and once behind Jorge Lorenzo -- both of whom rode for Ducati at the time. Marquez has not finished on the podium in Austria since 2019 but as he arrives from the summer break with a 120-point lead over his brother Alex in the championship, the Ducati rider is seeking his ninth win of the season. "It was super close for many years here in Austria. I always lose against red bikes, with the amazing Dovizioso and amazing Lorenzo. But now I'm riding that red bike! So let's see if we can fight for the victory," Marquez told reporters on Thursday. "Of course, starting the second part of the season with a 120-point advantage, the only one that can lose the championship is you. "I will need to control myself in some races because you cannot be the fastest out there in every session, every practice and every race." Although Marquez has the strongest bike on the grid, so does his teammate Francesco Bagnaia who is unbeaten in Austria since 2022. "He won the last three years here, so I believe he will be fast," Marquez said. "He brakes super hard and it's one of the circuits why he won a lot, because the brake point is super important." Bagnaia, however, has struggled with the braking on the GP25 bike and sits third in the standings -- 168 points behind Marquez -- with one win all season. The twice MotoGP champion spent the break watching races from seasons past to understand why he has struggled this year. "I'm looking forward to finding back my speed and fighting for wins because I rewatched many races from last year and the previous year, seeing how competitive I was in the fight, following others, overtaking, braking super hard," he said. "And watching this season, I was a completely different Pecco - nothing comparable. So I want to change this thing and be similar to last year." REUTERS
Reuters
27-02-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
Ducati risk MotoGP rivals closing gap but hold Marquez trump card
Feb 27 (Reuters) - Ducati's highly-acclaimed 2024 bike was so good that they are going ahead with the same engine this season, a bold strategy that may allow rivals to close the gap but the factory team now has two MotoGP champions on board. With Marc Marquez now donning Ducati factory red alongside twice champion Francesco Bagnaia, the team have a wealth of winning experience in the eight MotoGP titles between the two riders. Upon realising that the newly-developed GP25 bike failed to meet performance standards, Ducati chose to rely on the proven prowess of the GP24 machine and harness the power of its engine for the next two years with specifications frozen until 2026. "The engine for the 2025 and 2026 season will be the '24. I think that 2024 bikes are very difficult to improve," Ducati's race team manager Davide Tardozzi said when making an honest assessment of their machines during pre-season testing. The bike is very much an evolved version of the 2024 bike which Bagnaia dubbed the 'GP24.9' - a name that has stuck. There is an element of risk with Ducati standing still with their development that could allow their rivals to regain lost ground. But what the grid saw in 2024 was the Italian team setting such high benchmarks, with a superior level of craftsmanship and the use of technology, that they almost built the perfect racing machine. Such was their dominance last year that a Ducati bike won 19 of the 20 races while six different riders achieved 53 podiums, as they sealed the constructors' title with six rounds to spare. HUNGRY MARQUEZ With very marginal gains expected in engine development before new bikes are introduced in 2027, Tardozzi said he was "absolutely confident" their riders would be competitive and vie for the championship. Marquez is also hungry to add to his tally of six MotoGP championships, having lost time with Honda when the Japanese manufacturer fell behind in the last five years and the Spaniard hopes taking the factory seat with Ducati is the right call. Although one of the oldest riders on the grid at 32, Marquez was fastest on the final day of testing ahead of the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix this weekend and he has no qualms competing with Bagnaia for the title. "I have a very strong teammate," Marquez said. "The target for Ducati is to try to paint the championship red at the end of the year. "For me, if we are fighting with Pecco (Bagnaia), it means that we are fighting for the championship. He's the rider to beat." MARTIN MISSING When the customary photo of all riders was taken ahead of the season's first Grand Prix, one rider was conspicuous by his absence as the Aprilia with the number one plate parked front and centre was riderless. Defending champion Jorge Martin, who made the switch to Aprilia after being snubbed by Ducati, will miss at least the first two races in Thailand and Argentina as he recovers from surgeries following a heavy crash during testing. How the Spaniard bounces back having tested his new bike for just 13 laps is a cloud hanging over the Aprilia garage. "For the first time in my life, I will miss the opening race of the season. The year is not starting out the way I would like it to," Martin said. "Now my only goal is to recover to 100% so I can go back to racing." Even Marquez, who is no stranger to season-ending injuries, advised the 27-year-old Martin not to rush back. "Following my bad experience, I told him, 'Listen to your body, respect your body. You are young, you have many races to go'," Marquez said. "Unfortunately, we will not have the world champion in the first race, but I wish a good comeback for him."
