The pre-season has started in the best possible way for the Gresini team. In Sepang, as in Buriram, Alex Marquez is systematically playing at the forefront on the Desmosedici GP24 that he is discovering. Enough to motivate the entire team of Michele Masini, his team manager who is already anticipating an excellent season with the Spaniard.
Supercharged in Malaysia, Alex Marquez flirted with the top-3 during the first two days of testing, before taking the lead of the session on the third day, by just seven thousandths. This morning in Buriram, the Iberian repeated his performance, reigning at the head of the session for most of the day.
On this circuit with very different characteristics, Marc's younger brother confirms his ease at the handlebars of Ducati's 2024 machine. Enough to make his team manager dream, impatient at the idea of seeing his rider start the season in this state of form.
"We confirm the good feelings we had in Barcelona with the bike, confides Michele Masini at the microphone of MotoGP.com at half-time of the first day. We confirmed it in Sepang, and here too. The feelings are very good, and we are preparing different settings to be ready for the first GP. For the moment, we are very excited about this season with Alex.
"Obviously it's important [to prepare on this circuit] to discover a bike that has already been ridden for a year with the factory team, He continues. We already have data to analyze, and configurations to test. We are quite optimistic."
Especially since, according to his words, the gap between the GP23 – which Gresini entered last year – and the GP24 is not huge, which explains why the adaptation from one machine to the other is done quickly. "I don't think there are big differences. Obviously you have to find the right settings, especially with the electronics. But I don't think there is a big difference. We started well with the Sepang test, looking at the data. And I think we are off to a good start."
The Italian knows it is imperative for Gresini to maximise their chances at the start of the season, given that the factory Ducati team will progress as they uncover the secrets of their GP25.
"We already know, since the last races last year, that we will have a very high-performance package this season, he adds again. We have to focus on our equipment. Obviously, the factory team will improve theirs, the bike and everything that goes with it. But we have to extract the maximum from this package from the first Grand Prix of 2025. Alex has immediately found good points on this bike, which he has managed to couple with his riding style. This is particularly the case with the braking on entry. So we are eager to continue to improve with this bike.
On the other side of the garage, Fermin Aldeguer is progressing at his own pace. He is discovering MotoGP after his promotion from Moto2. Michele Masini is also delighted by his performances in pre-season, and seems seduced by the Spaniard's first steps in the premier class.
“I really like his approach to MotoGP, trying to make progress step by step, Masini emphasizes about Aldeguer. Obviously, all the circuits will be unknown to him on a MotoGP bike. The reference points are completely different compared to a Moto2 bike. But he is learning, the important thing is to learn and progress kilometre by kilometre, taking small steps forward systematically. So never make a mistake on which you cannot progress.
Finally, most of the drivers focused on the morning start tests. The opportunity to recall why this preparation is more important than it seems on the sidelines of the season.
"With the new format, and the addition of the Sprint, the key is to always start in the first three rows. Make a good start, and try not to have too much of a gap compared to the first drivers. It's 60% of the race. We will do simulations" concludes Michele Masini.
© Michelin
