Marquez & Bagnaia Set for Ducati Showdown at Jerez

Ducati Lenovo Team sets sights on Spanish dominance at Jerez with Marc Márquez leading the standings and Pecco Bagnaia aiming for his fourth straight win at the circuit.

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The European leg of the 2025 MotoGP season kicks off with an electric return to Jerez de la Frontera, a circuit that has become Ducati’s Spanish stronghold. The Ducati Lenovo Team arrives brimming with confidence — and stats to back it up. Fresh off a dream start in Qatar, Marc Márquez and Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia head into the Andalusian round as the men to beat.

With five Ducati victories at Jerez — including four straight since 2021 — the Desmosedici GP has proven perfectly tuned to the Spanish circuit’s flowing corners and sharp braking zones. And no one has mastered this track on a Ducati quite like Pecco, who’s chasing a fourth consecutive win here.

But this year, there’s another red rocket in the spotlight: Marc Márquez. Not only does he lead the championship standings with 123 points, but he returns to Jerez where he scored his first Ducati podium in 2024 after an epic battle with Bagnaia. With a Sprint win and a full GP victory already under his belt this season, Márquez is eyeing more than just another podium — he’s aiming for a statement win in front of the Spanish faithful.

“The Spanish GP is always something special,” says Márquez. “Last year I had my first Ducati podium here, but now I’m stronger, and I’m hungry. Pecco’s fast here, no doubt — but we’re ready to fight.”

Pecco, meanwhile, is quietly confident. Despite a rocky qualifying in Qatar, he recovered with a commanding P2 in both the Sprint and main race. Jerez, however, is his playground. With back-to-back victories in 2022, 2023, and 2024, the reigning champ knows exactly how to deliver on this technical 4.42 km layout.

“Every year we’ve been strong here,” Pecco shares. “I feel great on the bike and we’ve made a lot of progress since the first round. The goal is clear — keep pushing, and stay in the title fight.”

The stats are on Ducati’s side. Their current stranglehold on the Constructors’ and Team standings shows no signs of loosening, while both riders are comfortably inside the championship top three. With Márquez first and Bagnaia third in the standings, and Ducati topping the team and constructor leaderboards, all signs point toward a thrilling showdown between two of MotoGP’s fiercest competitors — on the same bike, no less.

Add to that the technical fireworks of Jerez — with its mix of right-heavy corners (eight to five), 13-turn layout, and infamous final hairpin — and fans can expect nothing short of a spectacle.

First free practice fires up on Friday, April 25th at 10:45 AM local time. Expect elbows out, lap records threatened, and maybe even a little intra-garage rivalry. Because in Jerez, for Ducati, it’s more than just another race. It’s home turf — and it’s time to defend it.