Ducati concentrates on the engine on the GP24 – Francesco Bagnaia feels more power, but he also feels a weakness of the GP23 has been fixed on corner entry
Ducati has taken a cautious approach to the further development of the successful Desmosedici. Visually, the GP24 model tested in Valencia hardly differed from its predecessor. The focus was on the engine
World Champion Francesco Bagnaia is satisfied with the first impression: “Good. I think the engineers can be satisfied with the work. Many things feel the same. Other things are already better. This is a good starting point.”
“I am satisfied. We have improved the things I asked for. That concerns the corner entry. We still have to improve the power delivery, but we have time for that. We can be satisfied with the start.”
Jorge Martin was not yet convinced by the new engine. “I felt more power, but I don’t know if it’s better. The connection with the throttle valve didn’t work well, I think,” was the initial assessment of the world championship runner-up.
But Bagnaia explains the background: “We went in the opposite direction last year [with the GP23]. The engine was too smooth. I prefer an engine with which I can feel a direct connection.”
And the first moment the rider turns the throttle, the new engine feels more aggressive. “You can feel the power,” smiles Bagnaia. “The 2022 bike was difficult at the beginning, but we were able to improve it. In the end it was fantastic.”
“The strength of the old bike was the corner entry. You could hold a lot of speed and you had good turning. Last year’s bike [the GP23] had more traction and was good in the first phase of the braking zone, but you lost out on corner entry.”
“Because you had more grip, the turning behavior was worse. I think that the GP24 is similar to the GP22. That helps me, but also Enea at the corner entry.” Bastianini had major problems in this area in particular last season.
He lacked the good feeling of his old GP21 at the corner entry. In addition, a lot of electronic work was done with the engine brake. So what is Bastianini’s first impression of the GP24 engine? “My first impression of the new bike was good right from the start.”
“It’s not a big difference to the GP23, but it’s better. It still needs to be a bit better on corner entry, but it’s already better than the GP23. The engine braking is better, but similar to 2023, but we need to try something else. We will do that in Sepang.”
While Bastianini also worked a little on the set-up, Bagnaia concentrated exclusively on the engine. “We will work on the chassis in Malaysia. It was more important here that there are no doubts about the engine,” said the World Champion.
