Pecco Bagnaia spoke to the press at the end of the MotoGP post-season test day.
Yesterday, in Barcelona, the MotoGP post-season tests took place. A kind of preview for the new season, with many changes, starting with the riders. At Ducati, it was Marc Marquez‘s first day in red, as he will be Bagnaia‘s teammate starting in 2025.
The Ducati rider from Turin, wearing a special white livery, gathered a lot of information by conducting comparative tests on three different bike types. These were his words at the end of the day: “It was a positive day because we tested everything that needed testing, and most importantly, it’s quite clear where the engineers will need to focus this winter. Also, it was very positive that Marc and I had the same feelings, because this will make a big difference for how the work progresses.”
Pecco then added: “In general, I’m happy because when a new bike immediately performs at a good level, that’s positive. It means it was well-built and has potential, but there’s still work to be done because in several areas I still prefer the GP24, especially in braking and entry. That needs some work, while in terms of speed and stability, the GP25 is already in a good place, so I’m happy. I liked the frame and the engine too, so I think they did a good job.”
Regarding Marc Marquez’s feedback, Bagnaia said: “The requests we made to Ducati are very similar. This will definitely speed up the work if we both want to go in the same direction. But it doesn’t surprise me because he has a different riding style from mine, though in braking, we’re quite similar. We both put a lot of pressure on the brakes, so I think it makes sense that we have the same feelings.”
According to Bagnaia, the gap between the GP25 and the GP24 could be greater than the one between the GP23 and the GP24. These were his words: “Just testing it today, I felt a big difference. I don’t expect a huge step in Malaysia, but that’s not necessary because it was already present here. We just need to fine-tune a few things in terms of setup.”
Finally, a brief comment on the team radio test. Bagnaia wasn’t particularly satisfied: “I tried it, but it’s not ready yet. I find it annoying, so I don’t like it. It’s the way it’s mounted that isn’t ideal, because it’s quite bulky and the cable is really big.”
Photo: Ducati Corse