Pecco Bagnaia He said he was already noticing a “huge” difference between the new prototype of Ducati for MotoGP 2025 and GP24a bike with which he won 11 long races on the recently completed course.
The double champion of the premier category had his first chance to test the first version of the Desmosedici GP25 last Tuesday at Barcelona-Catalonia Circuitfor the usual playoff test which could not take place this year in Valencia due to the DANA tragedy.
Bagnaia completed a total of 56 laps during the day, split between the GP25, the GP24 and a hybrid version of the two machines.and finished third in the standings with a time 0.595 seconds behind that of Alex Marquez to lead the day.
Even if the GP25 tested in Montmeló is still in the development phase, The native of Turin was already impressed by the potential of the bike and by the work carried out by Borgo Panigale. to try to maintain its hegemony in MotoGP.
“We have to say that today we tried a lot of things and the GP25 we have is a good basis to start developing and improving it“, he declared last Tuesday to the media, including Motorsport.com. “Our engineers and team will work hard this winter, as we need to improve upon the base we tested. Fortunately, Marc Marquez and I had the same sensations behind the wheel, and it is very important to move in the same direction of evolution. “It’s fantastic.”
“The difference between the 2024 and 2025 bikes is already huge, and I think we won't have a big step forward for testing in Malaysia. [en febrero]because we already noticed the step herebut we have to fix it a little [en términos de hacerlo todo bien y pulir detalles]. In addition, we have to adapt the settings of the new bike a little,” he continued.
Bagnaia, in fact, admitted that he There are some areas where the GP25 is weaker than the GP24but he attributes it to the fact that the bike on the course already completed was quite refined at the end of the season after a full year of competition.
“In terms of handling, the GP24 is even better when braking“, he explained. “I have improved a lot this year with the GP24 in terms of braking. We will have to look to go in the same direction [con la GP25]. But the 2025 bike has very good stability in fast corners, and I like that, and also with worn tires. It's good. And the engine is very powerful and fast. We usually start at this point [tan temprano] with the new bike and we have to do some work. But the starting point is pretty good and I'm happy. »
For Ducati it is important to start the 2025 season with a strong motorcycle, thanks to the combination of the new engine freezing rules, for the Thai GP which will open the next campaignand the concession system, which results in restrictions for those in Bologna. The engine that Ducati will homologate at the start of next year must maintain the same specifications until the end of the current regulatory cycle, at the end of 2026.
