Let's talk MotoGP: Ducati establishes a dynasty, and here's the proof

Ducati is the brand of the moment in MotoGP. Clearly, the Desmosedici GP23 is undoubtedly one of the best machines in Grand Prix history. It succeeds the GP22, which was not much less dominant on the world circuits. With four consecutive manufacturers' championships, are we not seeing the emergence of a new dynasty? Analysis.

 

Ducati crushes MotoGP

 

First, let's start by defining the term "dynasty." In sports, a dynasty is a period of dominance by a team. It's relatively simple, but the period must be marked by success even if not all the titles go to the said team.. A very simple example; the Rossi “dynasty” extends from 2001 to 2009 even if he lost two championships in 2006 and 2007. The same for the Chicago Bulls in basketball in the 1990s, or Pep Guardiola's FC Barcelona at the end of the years 2000 and early 2010s.

So, if we count the rider titles, Ducati has only one since 2020, date of the first manufacturer's championship in this new era. But it is the accumulation of victories, the frequency of exploits and above all, the variety of winners that makes me say that this is a brand dynasty. At the helm of Gigi Dall'Igna's creation, many were very strong, which even works to the disadvantage of Pecco Bagnaia, although significantly better than the others. When the season is over, I will return to this point which fascinates me.

 

 

But we must also recognize it; a bit like with Suzuki at the end of the 1970s, we have a multitude of very good drivers who manage to make the Italian perform. Since the beginning of this “red era”, we have noticed Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci, Jack Miller, Johann Zarco, Jorge Martín, Pecco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini, Marco Bezzecchi and even Luca Marini to a lesser extent. Concerning the start of this golden period, we can take the year 2020 as a reference because the victory in the manufacturers' classification is a landmark, but we have found the beginnings of it since Jorge Lorenzo's breakthrough in 2018. I really have the impression that this XXL transfer allowed the firm to move into the dimension of winners. Moreover, we can fairly safely say that the Ducati Desmosedici is the best machine since at least 2019, if not 2018; Andrea Dovizioso could do nothing against a brilliant but already lonely Marc Márquez at Honda.

Yes, having eight on the grid helps, but attacking the firm for this reason is absolutely illogical. It's a decision business very smart, and everyone wins. The other teams, which established a real separation between the factory team and the satellites (the Tech3-Yamaha example is glaring) just had to do the same.

 

 

The crazy statistic

 

Another particularity of this dynasty lies in the versatility of the motorcycle. During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, we didn't see much other than a good machine in a straight line. “Por Fuera” referred to it jokingly during a press conference at the end of 2016. At the time of writing, it is the best in acceleration, holds the others in top speed, in turns, in braking …as well as in all other areas. Only the Aprilia RS-GP manages to shake it up on a certain type of circuit.

For Ducati, versatility also materializes on the track profiles; hence the topic of the day. Hold on tight. After the “Martinator” victory in Thailand, the Borgo Panigale firm has won on all the circuits covered in MotoGP. Yes, all of them, even counting Aragon. And this, even if we omit the exploits of Casey Stoner at the end of the 2000s! It only took Ducati eight years to achieve this, all in the most competitive era of all time due to the single ECU, a subject to which we have already largely returned.

 

 

The year 2023 is particularly fruitful. In Argentina, Indonesia, Thailand and Sachsenring (still excluding Stoner's victory in 2008), the team embodied by the trio Tardozzi/Ciabatti/Dall'Igna won for the first time in this new era. Another figure which confirms this trend; Ducati is on a streak of six consecutive victories heading into Malaysia (thanks to four riders), as it is in 2022 from the Dutch Grand Prix to the Japanese Grand Prix. For reference, the last other brand to achieve such a feat was Yamaha in 2015.

 

Conclusion

 

This season is a new chapter in the Ducati dynasty. From 2017 to 2019 we had the intro. Then, from 2020 to 2022, confirmation. And finally, from 2023, total domination with a competitive motorcycle on the one hand, and so versatile. This should not take anything away from its drivers, in particular the discreet but exceptional Pecco Bagnaia, whose talents are often unfairly denigrated. Of course, it is unfortunate that the Japanese are not keeping pace but the MotoGP is a sport like any other; no king is eternal.

What do you think of Ducati dominance? Tell us in the comments!

 

 

Photo: Michelin Motorsport