The parallel challenges facing Ferrari and Ducati in 2025

A day before Lewis Hamilton’s fanfare at Ferrari, Ducati held a special event at the Italian ski resort Madonna di Campiglio in which it unveiled its latest acquisition Marc Marquez.

There are undoubtable parallels between the six-time MotoGP world champion and the seven-time F1 world champion as they turn to Italian teams in the hope of landing their next title.

While Ducati comfortably topped the MotoGP constructors’ standings, Ferrari has not won the equivalent title in F1 since 2007.

Ducati, spearheaded by technical guru Gigi Dall’Igna, has led the MotoGP development race since 2022 and while Ferrari appeared to hold an edge over its competition at the start of the current F1 rules era in 2022, it has been overhauled by Red Bull and McLaren in that period.

But there are also some similarities between the two teams, albeit competing in different disciplines.

Watch: Hamilton On Track At Ferrari!

Mixed receptions

For the best part, Hamilton’s reception has been positive, with the fan turnout for his first drive in a Ferrari F1 car a testament to how well he has been received.

However, there has also been two figures who have been critical of Ferrari’s decision to sign the 40-year-old.

Former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto said he would not have signed Hamilton if he was still in charge, while former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher was among others who were also critical of the move.

Meanwhile, Ducati admitted that it too faced a “divisive” reaction in Italy to Marquez’s arrival in the team. The team said that the reception had been mixed as it selected Marquez rather than Jorge Martin to be Francesco Bagnaia’s team-mate.

Marquez has been a thorn in Ducati’s side in the past and previously seen as the enemy.

From a wider Italian perspective, this exploded in his bitter feud with Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi in 2015 when the latter accused Marquez of trying to aid fellow Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo (Rossi’s team-mate at Yamaha) in the title fight. The pair came to blows on track in Malaysia and peace has never been fully restored.

Campioni In Pista with Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Ducati Corse

In more recent times, Marquez triumphed against Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso in their title battles between 2017-19 before Ducati’s era of domination began in 2022, leading to Marquez to acknowledge he couldn’t beat them with Honda so joined them in 2024 with a move to Gresini.

Now he’s changed sides, he will also need to change some opinions.

Both have a point to prove

Hamilton cut ties with Mercedes because he felt Ferrari offered him the best chance of winning an eighth world title, while Marquez joined Ducati to ride a competitive bike.

The British driver proved he still has the speed last season with his two wins in Silverstone and Spa, while Marquez had a strong season with Gresini with three victories coming in Aragon, Misano and Phillip Island – the first of those ending a 1,000-day wait for another MotoGP win having overcome career-threatening injuries.

Make no mistake, both Hamilton and Marquez are capable of adding to the title count this season and are eager to prove their respective doubters wrong.

Management is key

This is the first time since 2014 where Ferrari have two clear number one drivers. Back then it was a short-lived one-season partnership of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen.

Together they delivered an underwhelming return of points as Ferrari finished the season in fourth place in the championship. The caveat being that this was the opening season for the hybrid era and dominated by Mercedes and Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

How Charles Leclerc accepts Hamilton coming into the team will be key. Ferrari has been moulded around the Monegasque and Hamilton is the outsider.

However, judging by the reaction to his debut runs, he stands a chance of eclipsing Leclerc in terms of profile, something that could affect the team’s internal politics.

The same can be said of Ducati too. Having Bagnaia, a two-time MotoGP world champion, and his nearest rival in the same team is going to take some managing.

Bagnaia and Marquez have previous history too. They clashed in Portugal last year and there is every likelihood they will clash again as they battle for wins.

This is new territory for Ducati, which will need to find a way of keeping the peace and ensure the racing remains fair.

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For the meantime, both Ferrari and Ducati are basking in the publicity and positive wave of promotion.

However, once the season starts, the complexion is likely to change and how they manage their respective racers will be crucial.