MotoGP News: Marc Marquez Tests Ducati GP25 For The First Time In Barcelona

Saajan Jogia | Nov 20, 2024

Apr 13, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Marc Marquez (93) of Spain and Gresini Racing MotoGP waves to the fans after the Americas Grand Prix sprint race at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Sporting a striking bright red livery, six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez tested Ducati's 2025 bike, the GP25, during the post-season test at Barcelona. After an intensive day of collaboration with engineers and providing feedback, the 31-year-old described the experience as "super good."

The 2024 season saw him max out Ducati's GP23 MotoGP bike with Gresini Racing and he now moves over to the much more advanced 2025 bike with the factory Ducati squad. Thus, he skipped the GP24 in the process that was being run in the current season. Despite finishing just 0.056 seconds behind his new teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, Marquez was well-placed to pinpoint the key differences between the previous version and the cutting-edge machine set to debut next year. He said:

“I tried the GP25 most of the day, 90% of the time I was riding with the 25.

“So I was working a lot for the engineers.

“Because when you jump to the official team, it means that you have a very strict plan with all the things you need to try and the rider is in the hands of the engineers. You are there working for the engineers.

“It’s true that the bike has some positive things that work a bit better. But in the end it's a bike and you need to ride in a good way. If you want to be fast, you need to push.

“But the feeling was super good, especially with the team. That is the most important on the first impression, and we work in a good way."

When asked to reveal what was better on the new bike, he said:

“The engine is a bit better on the straight, so that also is important comparing with last year’s bike. And then it looks like the character of going in on the corner is a bit different. Still there I need to understand where is the limit.”

“The thing is that I tried the full package 25: Frame, engine and different things.

“So we don't know which [individual parts] feel different.

“Then Pecco was working a little bit in a different way. But the most important is that both of us had very similar comments. Same problems, same advantages. So this makes life easier for the engineers.”

However, the Spaniard revealed there were a few areas on the bike that demanded attention. He added:

"Still we need more time to understand because, with Pecco, we had similar comments. It's true that it's super good in some aspects, but a little bit more difficult in other aspects.

"So now we need to evaluate, because you need to have a 'stable' bike on all 22 rounds. Not very fast in one kind of track."

When asked if it felt strange to ride for a team that he challenged during his time with Honda and Gresini Racing, he answered:

"No, it was a pleasure.

"Especially when you arrive in a team that performed in a better way these last years.

"You have the responsibility to be fast because you're in the best team on the grid. So it was a pleasure to be inside that garage.

"But it’s true that seeing Tardozzi [in my garage was strange], after all my fights with Dovizioso!

"But we always had a very good and polite relationship. So this helps, also because we already know each other."