MotoGP: At Mugello, Marquez wants to extend his championship lead

Mugello and the "Ducatistas" tribe are ready to get excited for a Spaniard: solid leader of the MotoGP Championship , Marc Marquez is the big favorite on Sunday for the Italian Grand Prix, THE race of the season, on Ducati's home turf. Although he has 66 MotoGP victories to his name, Marquez , 32, has only won once, in 2014, on the majestic Mugello International Autodrome (5.250 km).

In his first season riding a Ducati last year, the Catalan finished just off the podium (4th) and, above all, measured the fervor that descends from the Tuscan hills when you ride a Desmosedici GP Ducati. Less than an hour from the Italian brand's headquarters in Borgo Panigale, on the outskirts of Bologna, Mugello turns red every early summer to take on the Ducati colors.

The anticipation is all the greater as Marc Marquez is leading the championship and is coming off a historic weekend in Aragon where he won his fourth race of the season, remaining at the top of the results sheet from Friday to Sunday, from free practice to the Grand Prix, including qualifying, the sprint race and the warm-up!

"It's not going to be easy to repeat a weekend like this," the six-time MotoGP world champion warned from the outset. "But we're going to fight, we're in good shape and this circuit allows our Desmosedici GPs to produce their best performances," he said. Anything other than a home victory at this ninth round of the season would be a slap in the face for Ducati and its star rider.

Especially since the Italian brand has won the last three editions of "its" Grand Prix thanks to Francesco Bagnaia (2022, 2023, 2024). Currently third in the championship, 93 points behind Marc Marquez, "Pecco" took a hit to morale after his 16th place at the French GP and his retirement at Silverstone. This return to familiar territory can only do him good.

"I'm looking forward to it, not only because we've been very fast and very competitive in recent years, but also because what happens around this race is special every time," recalled the double world champion (2022, 2023).

Despite his three wins at the Tuscan circuit, Bagnaia will likely never be able to overshadow Valentino Rossi, the record holder for Mugello wins (nine, seven of which were in the premier class), each time in an atmosphere bordering on hysteria. With the first third of the season completed, it is still far too early to know who will win the world title, but it is possible that the next winner will be a Spaniard named Marquez.

Second overall, Alex Marquez (Ducati-Gresini) is "only" 32 points behind his older brother thanks to his remarkable consistency (five podiums, always in the top 6, only one retirement). Leading the non-Ducati riders, Frenchman Johann Zarco (Honda-LCR) is coming off a crash in Aragon and is in 6th place in the world championship with 97 points.