Why has Ducati reverted its factory MotoGP riders to mostly 2024-spec bikes and
what are the Bologna brand’s rivals doing to try and close the gap? Mat Oxley tells why (and what) in the June 2025 print issue of Roadracing World.

Ducati Lenovo factory-team riders Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia, (plus VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio) went into pre-season testing with all-new GP25 racebikes but soon reverted to 2024 engine specs, chassis and aero, so their current bikes are almost, but not quite, the same as the GP24s raced by Gresini riders Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer and Di Giannantonio’s VR46 teammate Franky Morbidelli.

        While Marc Marquez’s magic talent has seen him top the podium regularly, Bagnaia and Di Giannantonio have had some torrid weekends. Bagnaia complains of poor feedback from the front end when he enters corners, so he can’t feel the limit. He’s tried everything with set-up, so now he’s trying to adapt his riding technique.

        “I feel mad that my greatest point—braking and entry—is no longer good with this bike,” says 2022-2023 World Champion Bagnaia. “Marc is very good at riding everything, but I can’t do it, I need to have a good feeling with the front.” At recent races it’s become apparent that the GP24 is a better motorcycle than the GP25, or the GP24.5 or GP24.9, which its riders sometimes call it. Alex Marquez adores the GP24, as does his rookie teammate Aldeguer. Which begs the question: Why doesn’t Bagnaia revert to his actual 2024 Desmosedici, with which he won 11 Grand Prix races last year?

 From”MotoGP Analysis: Ducati Still On Top,” by Mat Oxley

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