Francesco Bagnaia says he can already notice a “huge” difference between Ducati’s new MotoGP prototype and the outgoing GP24 bike he took to 11 grand prix wins this year.
The two-time MotoGP champion got his first opportunity to sample an early version of the GP25 that he will race in 2025 on Tuesday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in the official post-season test.
Completing a total of 56 laps, split between the GP25, the GP24 and a hybrid version of the two bikes, Bagnaia ended up a strong third on the timesheets with a lap that was 0.595s down on Gresini Ducati pacesetter Alex Marquez.
While the GP25 bike he tested in Barcelona is still in development, Bagnaia was already impressed with its potential and the work Ducati has invested to maintain its MotoGP hegemony.
“We tested many things today and the GP25 is a good base to start developing and improving [upon],” he said.
“Our engineers and the team will work a lot this winter because we need to improve the base we tested.
“Luckily me and Marc [Marquez] had the same feeling about the bike and this is very important to go in the same direction on the development. This is great.
“Already the difference between '24 and '25 is quite huge and I think we will not have a big step for Malaysia [test in February] because the step [forward] was already here.
“But we need to arrange it a bit [in terms of getting everything right]. Also, we need to adapt the set-up of the new bike a bit.”
Bagnaia admitted that there were still some areas where the GP25 is in fact weaker than Ducati’s 2024 contender, but he puts it down to the fact that the GP24 was well refined by the end of the season after a full year of running.
“In terms of handling, the GP24 is still better on the braking,” he explained. “I improved a lot this year with the '24 [bike] in terms of braking. We will have to search to go in the same direction [with the GP25].
“But the '25 has a very good stability in terms of fast corners and I like it, and also with used tyres. This is good. And the engine is very strong and fast.
“Normally we start at this [early] point with the new bike, we also need some work to do. But the starting base is quite good and I'm happy about it.”
It is important for Ducati to start the 2025 season with a strong bike due to a combination of the new engine freeze rules and the concession system.
The engine Ducati will homologate at the start of next year must remain in the same specification until the current rules cycle ends after 2026.
