Former MotoGP racer Alex Barros says Valentino Rossi told him “he will help” Francesco Bagnai🐓a “in every way possible” against Marc Marquez in 2025.

Reigning double world cha🍸mpion Bagnaia will be partnered by Marquez at the factory Ducati team next year after the latter forced a major rider market bo🔴mbshell earlier this summer.

The pꦚairing is already anticipated to have a tense relationship, with it known that the VR46 camp was not happy with Ducati’s U-turn in deciding against promoting Jorge Martin to the f꧃actory team.

This stems from Rossi’s long-running feud with Marquez, with the nine-time world champion telling 🌊L’Equipe recently that he didn’t understand Ducati’s decision.

Seven-time premier class race winner Barros met with Rossi at the recent Sao Paulo World Enduran༺ce♈ Championship round and told : “Valentino has very clear ideas and told me that he will help Pecco in every way possible.

“It will be a difficult year, but for sure the Italian’s long period in Ducati, the tw▨o titles and the third on the way, as well as the progress of the Desmosedici, will be kept in mind.

“But the a🀅rrival of🌊 a rider capable of altering the equilibrium will change things in the course of the season.”

Barros believes Bagnaia and Marquez “are🍎 not friends”🀅, despite publicly having a good relationship, and says any fallout between them in 2025 will only help Ducati’s rivals.

“Bagnaia is a [VR46] Academy rider and he knows Rossi’s opinion of Ma🍸rquez, because of everything that happened between them.

“So, even if he doesn’t show it, they are not friends. If next year Marc, who has just arrived, were to make a difference maybe already in the winer, there will be a lot of controversy and a ꦯhigh level of rivalry.

“Managing two riders like🍬 that is comp𓂃licated. In the eyes of the public it will be fine, but internally it will be tough.

“Should they start to bother each ot♛her or fall out𝔉, they could Aprilia and KTM if [they are] equipped with a good bike.”