Marc Marquez Takes First Factory Ducati Race Win – Tyre Pressure Issues?
Marc Marquez makes it a dream Ducati debut and takes a dominating victory in Buriram ahead of Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia.
It was only in the final stretch of MotoGP’s winter break that Ducati pulled the plug on the GP25, shelving it for more development work and later use.
After a day in Barcelona, six days in Sepang, and two more days in Buriram, both riders and engineers reached a consensus: the current Ducati GP24 would remain the foundation for the start of the 2025 MotoGP season.
The new engine, in particular, failed to inspire confidence, and the revised aerodynamic elements were, at best, considered equal to their 2024 predecessors.
The risk of taking a step back and falling behind the other Bologna-built machines was simply too great.
With all six Ducatis now on equal technical footing, the results from the season opener in Thailand underscored just how minimal the differences are.
Across qualifying, the sprint, and the main race, factory riders and independent team riders were evenly matched – yet in all sessions, it was Marc Marquez, on the latest GP24 spec, who set the fastest time.
Right behind Marc Marquez, however, was Alex Marquez, who, despite using the older swingarm and missing some of the latest updates, still outpaced two-time world champion Pecco Bagnaia.
Franco Morbidelli, running the same spec as Alex Marquez, also proved highly competitive, finishing P5 and P4 with extremely close time gaps.
Ducati Corse boss Gigi Dall’Igna decided to revert to the proven 2024-winning machine but retained some components from the unfinished GP25. The most significant of these was the crucial rear swingarm.
Beyond that, Dall’Igna has remained tight-lipped on the exact technical differences between the bikes.
“There are a few more detailed differences between the existing GP24 and the version that the factory riders are using as a GP24-based bike,” Dall’Igna explained following the sweltering season opener in Buriram.
“These developments come from the work we started after last year’s Austrian GP. We will use the official MotoGP test after the Spanish GP to return to further developing the GP25. Until Jerez, we will be running more or less identical versions.”
The set timeline for Jerez is also dictated by the current regulations. As the only manufacturer in Concessions Tier A, Ducati faces the strictest development and testing restrictions, including the lowest allocation of test tires.
The set timeline for Jerez is also dictated by the current regulations. As the only manufacturer in Concessions Tier A, Ducati faces the strictest development and testing restrictions, including the lowest allocation of test tires.
