Hamilton, Marquez and the season in red: we now have the (former) enemies at home
We’ve known this for months, but we still need to metabolize the matter well. Marc Marquez and Lewis Hamilton will wear red in 2025. We will see them like this on television, on the tracks of four continents, inside the cockpit and at the microphones, to try to reach or surpass, in the roll of honor of all time, two champions much loved in our area: Valentino Rossi and Michael Schumacher .
The best already given?
The first, Marquez, was already racing a Ducati in MotoGP, that of Team Gresini: now he switches to the factory one. The British seven-time world champion, however, has always worn the gray of Mclaren and Mercedes throughout his career, and only now has he made the big step. They reach, respectively, almost 32 and 40 years of age. They have probably already given their best, when they were racing against the “reds” of Italy, on the other side of the fence. But now they compete for the tricolor colors and this is the most intriguing sporting challenge of 2025.
Furthermore, there had already been some meetings with the Catalan centaur. However, at the height of his career, Marquez didn’t feel like abandoning a winning Honda, where he was the “master of the house”, to take a risk with Ducati or Ktm. So the Borgo Panigale manufacturer built its champions at home, drawing from among the youngest. A move that proved successful, then suddenly reneged (amid much controversy) during the past season. The official Ducati confirmed the two-time champion of the premier class, Pecco Bagnaia, but let go of the last world champion, the 26-year-old Jorge Martin, as well as letting the contract of Enea Bastianini from Romagna expire. All this to make room for him, Italy’s “great enemy”, the protagonist of that 2015 World Cup, ten years ago, who escaped Valentino Rossi in the way we all know.
Marquez and the red tide
Marquez, having recovered after a series of injuries and problems, last year wanted Ducati very much, throwing himself into the adventure of the Gresini team, to demonstrate that, even with an unofficial bike, he was still able to compete for victory. Message understood by Ducati top management, who promoted him. The red fans, however, were divided between those who would have liked to see a challenge on equal terms between the two great friends-adversaries, Bagnaia and Martin, and those who instead are thrilled by a potentially explosive pairing: the tightrope walker Marquez on the official Ducati. The decision, however, went awry among those nostalgic for Valentino. Seeing the “enemy” Marquez riding the favorite bike makes many fans of the “yellow tide” turn up their noses: he lacks a title to reach the idol of Tavullia, even if at the top of the ranking, with 15 world championships, there is Giacomo Agostini, who in his era could compete in multiple classes.
Hamilton’s bet
Hamilton, however, is tied with Michael Schumacher in the roll of honour. Being able to overtake him, right at the wheel of Ferrari, would lead him to become – looking at the numbers – the most successful driver of all time. Furthermore, the Prancing Horse has not won a drivers’ championship since 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen (the last championship in the constructors’ championship in 2008). In short, the Englishman has everything to gain in this challenge. If he wins he will further etch his name into legend. If it doesn’t happen, patience. He will have fulfilled his dream of wearing red, being able to freely circulate on the street in a Ferrari without causing a stir.
If another team won, it wouldn’t be anything new. If it were instead his teammate Charles Leclerc who triumphed, Hamilton would still have participated in the feat of bringing the Maranello team back to the top, bringing his immense experience from a successful team like Toto Wolff’s Mercedes. However, it will certainly be a success from a commercial point of view. One of the most famous brands in the world marries – at least for two seasons – the most loved driver, himself a successful brand. Here too the comments were not wasted. Among Leclerc’s most ardent fans there are those who would have preferred a less “cumbersome” driver than a seven-time world champion, who will certainly not come to squire the Monegasque. The theme of coexistence with teammates is central for both Ferrari and Ducati, but the motorsport season, for enthusiasts, will be all to be seen and commented on.