Ducati is refraining from making final updates to the Desmosedici GP24 so that Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin have the same conditions in the MotoGP duel
Only ten points separate world champion Francesco Bagnaia from championship leader Jorge Martin. Four Grands Prix remain in the 2024 MotoGP season. To ensure that the World Championship duel between the two Ducati riders is as fair as possible, there will be no more updates to the Desmosedici GP24. Ducati has decided to do this to offer Martin and the Pramac team the same conditions as Bagnaia and the in-house factory team.
At the end of the year, Jorge Martin and his Pramac team will break new ground. Martin is moving to the Aprilia factory team and Pramac is starting a new chapter in the team’s history. The long-standing Ducati satellite team will compete with Yamaha material from 2025.
As a result, the new Ducati developments will not be made available to either Martin or Pramac. At the official MotoGP test at Misano, some new details were seen that were tested exclusively by the Ducati factory team. These updates will be postponed until 2025. Bagnaia confirms this approach.
Francesco Bagnaia is not particularly happy with the compromise
“At Misano I tested a new chassis that neither Jorge nor I will be able to use this year. Basically, it’s an evolution that Ducati should make available to all riders in the GP24 under the contract. Unfortunately, though, there aren’t enough parts,”
“Our bike will remain as it is until the end of the season,” confirms Bagnaia. “And that’s a shame, because it’s an important step forward that could probably help us to make a difference.”