Marquez secured his fir🥃st grand ꦦprix podium of the season at the Japanese MotoGP, after overcoming treacherous conditions to finish behind Jorge Martin and Bagnaia.

And although Marquez has been in better form of late, Honda’s struggles have still been too much for the eight-time world champion to be🍨come a factor regarding race wins.

• Bast🐎ianini: Braking a key battleground among Ducatiಞ riders 
• Bagnaia: Eight Duc﷽atis gives title ‘more credit’, MotoGP 2005 ‘so different!’

Marquez has confirmed he will leave Honda at the end of 2023, and he's expected to rideཧ for Gresini Ducati next season.

A rider wཧho will be on similar machinery to Marquez should he switch to Gresini Ducati is Bagnaia, with the world champion keen to see Marquez make the sw꧅itch: "I am happy for that. Because we can have a good fight. 

"If Marc arriv🌌es at Ducati he’ll be absolutely super-fast from the start. A rival like him 🧔is always great so I’m happy for that."

Bagnaia will be on a GP24 bike and Marquez on this season’s package which is likely to be a title-winning package in the hands of either Bagnai൲a or Martin. 

"I will be happy if Marquez comes♎ to Ducati," re-confirmed Bagnaia to . "He is an added value, an eight-time world champion, so seeing the data of someone like that will serve as encouragement and help, and then we will see what he is capable of doing."

In terms of this season, Bagnaia has seen a comfortable championship lead reduced to just eight points after Mart🔯in completed a third clean sweep of the yꦑear.

After already winning the sprint and main race at Sachsenring and Misano, Martin converted pole into another double wi🐈n at Motegi, bringing his win tally to eight for the year. 

Asked if Martin is stronger than himself at this ♑point in the season, Bagnaia stated: "They are working well, for sure. Whether he 🌞is stronger, I don't know."