Pecco Bagnaia knows that 2024 will mark a key milestone for Ducati in MotoGP, as it will be the last season with eight Ducati riders on the grid, at least for the foreseeable future. With the move from Pramac to Yamaha, Ducati will see its number of motorcycles reduced to six, which remains a numerical advantage compared to its rivals, who will field four motorcycles each.
However, a crucial question remains: how many of these six Desmosedici will benefit from the latest factory specifications? Ducati suggested that they could only field three GP25 machines next year. Fabio di Giannantonio of VR46 is expected to join Pecco Bagnaia and Lenovo's new teammate, Marc Marquez, on these GP25s.
This prospect of having only three GP25s on the track has raised questions, especially since the rivals of Ducati all seem ready to line up four factory motorcycles in 2025. Although data from one year's Desmosedici may still be relevant, differences between machines can make this relevance variable.
After his victory at German Grand Prix, his fourth in a row, and taking the lead in the championship, Pecco bagnaia highlighted how the three main drivers Ducati each showed their strengths in different sectors of the circuit. “ There are eight of us pilots, so it's clear where someone is doing a better job ", has explained bagnaia. " For example, at the Sachsenring, Martin was very strong in turn 8. Marc was very strong in turn 7. I was very strong in turns 9, 10, 11. The more you are, the more data you have and it is easier to take a step »
Pecco Bagnaia: “ the feel of the bike helps improve lap times, but the biggest difference comes from the tires »
Pecco Bagnaia also noted that his race time at the Sachsenring was 12 seconds faster than Jorge Martin's the previous year, continuing a trend of race records and fastest laps ever recorded this season. “ I drove slower than in Assen, so we can do better! », joked bagnaia, referring to the 30 seconds he improved year-on-year at the Dutch TT. “ I think it's always the tires, and last year it was a lot warmer. The feel of the bike helps improve lap times, but the biggest difference comes from the tires »
Even with a reduction in its workforce, Ducati remains a dominant force in MotoGP. The individual performances of the drivers and the data collected at the different circuits will continue to be valuable assets for the team. Expectations are high for 2024, and fans of Ducati can expect an exciting season.
General classification after nine Grands Prix:
Ranking credits motogp.com
