P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Are all six Ducati MotoGP riders now on the same bike? Not quite…
The 2025 MotoGP season kicked off with a dominant Ducati 1-2-3-4 showcasing GP24 bikes due to shelving the planned 2025 engine and frame developments until the upcoming Jerez test. However, not all four bikes were identical, with factory riders Marquez, Bagnaia, and Di Giannantonio on the latest Ducati version. On the other hand, Marquez, Morbidelli, and Aldeguer rode hand-me-down bikes from the previous year. Bagnaia highlighted some subtle changes in his bike compared to the one he raced to victory in Thailand. Both Bagnaia and Marquez emphasized the reliability and potential for improvement in the GP24 base, leading to the decision to discard the 2025 engine and postpone the aero and chassis updates. Additionally, a newer-spec gearbox was introduced, with Bagnaia noting that his feeling on the current bike hasn’t matched last year’s winning machine yet. Alex Marquez hinted at using a bike spec dating back to the Austrian Grand Prix in August of the previous year, while emphasizing the strong competitive tools at their disposal for the season.
