Speaking on the topic of number one and number two riders, Marc Marquez has opened up on the rider ranking within the factory Ducati team after he joined this year alongside Francesco Bagnaia.
Marquez shifted from the world of Honda to Ducati in 2024, joining Ducati's satellite team Gresini, while Bagnaia has been with Ducati for a long time.
This dynamic has raised questions if there would be a rider hierarchy in the team.
Marquez has weighed in on the team dynamics at Ducati, revealing that from what he has heard, there is an element of equality within the team.
However, he believes that ultimately, meritocracy will determine who leads.
The six-time MotoGP champion also acknowledged that it is natural for Ducati to prioritize Bagnaia’s input, given his longer tenure with the team.
The Spaniard clarified that the team has not assigned a number one or number two status, emphasizing that the focus is more on the experience level of the riders.
Ducati's ultimate goal is to win races, regardless of which rider achieves the victory.
Marquez admitted that he needs to familiarize himself with Ducati's internal dynamics to fully grasp the strategy that has contributed to its championship successes. Speaking during the launch of Ducati's GP25 MotoGP bike, he said:
“I know where I'm arriving, I know which garage I'm arriving in.
“I'm arriving in the reference garage, where there's an established rider [Bagnaia] inside the garage. There's a rider with more experience inside the garage who has contributed a lot to Ducati and it's logical that he has the first say.
“But in the end, [at] Ducati all the riders [are] valued equally. That's what they've transmitted to me, that one or the other wins. That will be Ducati's intention and the riders' intention. If one doesn't win, the other should win.”
Elaborating that experience will matter more at Ducati and that he has more to learn in his debut season with the factory team, he added:
“One thing that is clear in a factory team is that it's not number one and number two, it's just the more experienced rider in the garage and the less experienced rider in the garage.
“Of course, I’m also looking forward to understanding what they are doing inside the garage to be so performant [and] dominating the results a lot [in] these last years. I will try to understand, to learn about it.
“The target of the team is to try to win. If Pecco is not able to win, I will try to win. If I'm not able to win, he will try to win.
“But when you arrive there, you need to understand the way they are working and what they are doing to win all the last years.”
