Double MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia꧂ says he “wouldn’t rule out” the prospect of having to fight Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo at the front of the field in 2025.

Bagnaia r🍷emains with the factory Ducati squad next season but will start the new campa🍸ign not as the defending champion for the first time since 2022.

Though he won 11 grands prix last season, Bagnaia ultimately came up 10 points short of outgoing Pram✃ac Ducati rider Jorge 🌱Martin.

Next year, Bagnaia faces his toughest challenge ye𒊎t as he goes 🃏up against Marc Marquez on equal machinery when the latter steps into the factory Ducati garage.

Speaking on fellow VR46 Acade🃏my member Andrea Migno’s podcast, Bagnaia says he is predicting lots of “solo” races between himself and Marquez.

However, he also pinpointed a surprise name✤ he is anticipating to cause him problems.

“ওMy next 💮goal is to win three MotoGP world championships,” he said.

“What will happen in 2025? Ducati will be the bike to beat, but they’ll have one less fac😼t💙ory bike.

“I expect a lot of races with only me and Marquez solo, but Aprilia has a new duo [Martin aꦗnd Marco Bezzecchi], and KTM can count on [Pedro] Acosta and [Brad] Binder.

“I wou♔ldn’t rule out Quartararo either, since Yamaha is improving.”

Bagnaia and Quartararo battled for the championship in 2022, with the former overturning a 91-point deficit at the halfway stage of that season as th♎e competitiveness of the Yamaha started to fade.

Yamaha endured its worst season in the modern era in 2024, as it came away with🐟 no podi🀅ums for the first time in what was also its second consecutive winless campaign.

It scored just 124 poinꦬts in the constructors’ standings, down from 196 scored in 2023, though constant development of the M1 did see it enjoy a stronger end to 2024, with Quartararo scor💮ing a season-best sixth in Malaysia.

Quartararo was als𒐪o effortlessly the top rider from a Japanese marque in 🉐the standings in 13th - 58 points clear of LCR’s Johann Zarco.

He will remain with Yamaha until the end of 2026, with Quartararo praising 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:the brand’s mentality change in regards to bike development as the biggest step it made this year.