Charles Leclerc and Pecco Bagnaia: From kings to princes

Until Lewis Hamilton landed at Maranello this past January, Charles Leclerc was widely seen as the cornerstone of the Scuderia’s project. The Monegasque driver joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016, two years before making a low-key Formula 1 debut in 2018 with Sauber.

Similarly, Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia started in MotoGP with a satellite team (Pramac) before donning Ducati’s red colours in 2021 and claiming back-to-back world titles in 2022 and 2023. Those two championships naturally cemented his status as the de facto leader of the most competitive team on the grid.

However, Marc Marquez’s arrival has challenged that hierarchy. Just as Hamilton’s move to Ferrari has done with Leclerc.

An Italian MotoGP champion riding a Bologna-built machine is the perfect narrative from an Italian perspective – just as it would be if the Maranello-based team were to celebrate another title, nearly two decades later, with Il Predestinato (as Leclerc is known), even though he races under the Monegasque flag.

Can Lewis Hamilton get the upper hand on Charles Leclerc in 2025?

Photo by: Ferrari

The differences in career achievements between Hamilton and his new team-mate are even more striking than those between Marquez and Bagnaia. The Briton’s seven titles place him on the same level as Michael Schumacher, whom he has already surpassed in wins (105 to 91), podiums (202 to 195) and pole positions (104 to 68). Leclerc, 11 seasons younger, has just eight wins, 43 podiums, and 26 poles. The gap between Marquez (six MotoGP titles) and Bagnaia (two) is smaller in comparison.

That’s just the sporting aspect. In terms of media impact, the gap between the arriving legends and the incumbents is much wider. Hamilton’s popularity makes him a global icon far beyond racing. On social media, the numbers speak for themselves: Hamilton’s Instagram profile boasts 39.2 million followers – more than twice Leclerc’s 17.8 million. Proportionally, the disparity between Marquez (7.4 million) and Bagnaia (1.7 million) is even greater.

On track, the balance within Ferrari remains even – at least for now. After a rain-affected race in Australia, where Leclerc finished eighth and Hamilton 10th, the dynamic between the two remains peaceful.

Ducati, however, already has a clear winner and loser. Marquez’s debut as a factory rider could not have been better: two perfect weekends in Thailand and Argentina, winning both the sprint and the main races, taking the pole positions and setting the fastest laps. None of this was surprising after his strong pre-season, where he dominated headlines during testing in Malaysia and Buriram – as well as at MotoGP’s official launch event in Bangkok.

Marquez has long been regarded as the smartest rider on the grid, combining talent, bravery and emotional intelligence. His influence is already being compared to that of Valentino Rossi. Just three months into his tenure at Ducati, he has won over the key figures within the team – from CEO Claudio Domenicali to general manager Gigi Dall’Igna, as well as the engineers, technicians and mechanics fine-tuning his Desmosedici.

“We already knew Marquez the rider – he’s a phenomenon. But we’ve now discovered Marc the person, and he’s even more exceptional,” a Ducati team member told Motorsport.com. Then, taking a dig at the recent past, they added: “In just a couple of races, he has thanked us for our work more times than the previous rider did in two years.”

Marquez’s gratitude has not gone unnoticed at Ducati

Photo by: Ducati Corse

Dall’Igna played a key role in Marquez’s signing, prioritising building the strongest team in MotoGP history over any concerns about managing two alpha riders. “It’s up to us to prove how good we are,” he often repeats. Meanwhile, Ducati insiders praise Bagnaia’s professionalism. “Pecco is a true gentleman – from the moment he knew Marc was coming, he accepted it without any complaints,” a team member confided.

However, Marquez’s dominant performances in Thailand and Argentina have left Bagnaia without an immediate response. He has handled his current struggles with apparent dignity and composure, staying true to his reputation. But how long can he maintain his cool if the gap to Marquez continues to grow?

In less than two weeks, MotoGP will head to Austin, arguably Marquez’s strongest circuit – he has won there seven times in the premier class. If he secures another double victory, he will arrive in Qatar for round four with at least a 39-point lead over Bagnaia. That would be a real test of the Italian’s resilience.