How Ducati made life difficult for itself and Bagnaia with GP24 switch ambiguity

On a weekend when Ducati completed MotoGP’s championship sweep by clinching the teams’ title to go with its riders’ and manufacturers’ crowns, the factory squad endured its worst performance of 2025, saw its champion suffer a broken shoulder, and found itself mired in a PR mess.

Even before the weekend started, speculation had been rife about Francesco Bagnaia having reverted to last year’s Ducati in Japan in a bid to find a solution for his long-running struggles. When VR46 boss Uccio Salucci appeared on the world feed during practice and confirmed that Bagnaia had in fact borrowed Morbidelli’s GP24 during the Misano test, the matter seemed settled. But Ducati remained adamant that Bagnaia was merely using a “mix” of parts, and even expressed its surprise over Salucci’s statement.

The contrast between Ducati’s comments and those of its primary satellite team was striking, given how closely the two work together. So who is telling the truth and why is Ducati being so vague about it?

To understand the situation, it helps to return to pre-season testing in February, when Ducati began evaluating its 2025 bike. The GP24 that dominated the 2024 season was so refined and perfect that it was always going to be a tough act to follow. But the feedback on the engine from its riders was so underwhelming that Ducati decided to stick with last year’s engine across all six of its MotoGP bikes.

However, something changed in the short gap between the Buriram test and the first race of the year at the same track, and Ducati eventually introduced an upgraded engine to the bikes of Marc Marquez, Bagnaia and Fabio di Giannantonio. Even though the difference between the two specs was small, it was a crucial change, and goes some way in explaining its decision-making.

When the season began, new Ducati recruit Marquez immediately felt in tune with the GP25, kicking off a dominant run that would yield his ninth world title and seventh MotoGP crown in Japan last month. By contrast, two-time series champion Bagnaia struggled from the offset, making it clear on more than one occasion that the DNA of the 2025 Ducati didn’t suit his style of riding. Meanwhile, di Giannantonio’s mixed results on the GP25 and Alex Marquez’s strong performance on the year-old GP24 left many questioning whether Ducati’s 2025 machine was truly an upgrade or if the team’s success was largely down to Marc’s talent.

Bagnaia has been dominated by factory team-mate Marc this year

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Fast forward to the Misano test, Bagnaia used the opportunity to compare two bikes: the one he raced in the San Marino GP and another that, according to Ducati, included components he had used before but never fully tested. The difference between the two bikes was striking, not just on the timing screen, but also in the way they handled on track. Casey Stoner, who was also present in the Ducati garage, noted that while his Misano race bike was shaking a lot, the other was far more planted on the track, giving Bagnaia the confidence he needed to push.

Bagnaia chose to race in Japan with the other bike (now understood to be the GP24 with a ‘25 engine) and enjoyed 2024-levels of dominance with a double win from pole. It should have marked a turning point for his campaign, but he struggled for pace again in Mandalika, and was back to square one.

However, more than the drastic difference in performance, it was the lack of transparency Ducati showed that dealt real damage. Of course, Ducati is not entitled to reveal what all changes it makes to its MotoGP bikes. But there was always going to be curiosity over what Bagnaia did after his Japan victory, and Ducati’s flat denial created an information vacuum that fuelled speculation.

Ducati’s PR department could have spun the story differently and highlighted how its year-old bike is still good enough to beat all its rivals. It is not that Ducati failed in its development of the GP25, but rather it succeeded so much with the GP24 that the bike continues to pay dividends more than a year after it received its last major upgrade

No one quite knows why Salucci spilled the beans on Bagnaia’s bike on the world feed, but if Ducati wanted to maintain complete secrecy over Bagnaia’s bike, it should have coordinated with Valentino Rossi’s team to prevent any leaks. After all, Ducati clearly told Bagnaia not to disclose too much information about what’s new (or old) on his bike.

It’s important to note that Salucci’s comments were specifically about the Misano test and he has no direct knowledge of the bike Bagnaia actually raced in Japan (or Indonesia for that matter). According to him, Ducati borrowed Morbidelli’s bike for the test and returned it the same day. However, he has reason to believe that Ducati essentially built a similar spec machine - with a 2025 engine - for Bagnaia ahead of the Japanese GP.

For Ducati, admitting that Bagnaia reverted to a year-old bike would mean conceding that the GP25 hadn’t delivered the expected gains. But by trying to obscure the truth, it ended up inviting more scrutiny, and created a confusing scenario.

Bagnaia, who won the 2022 and '23 titles, has simply struggled with his bike

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Ironically, Ducati’s PR department could have spun the story differently and highlighted how its year-old bike is still good enough to beat all its rivals. It is not that Ducati failed in its development of the GP25, but rather it succeeded so much with the GP24 that the bike continues to pay dividends more than a year after it received its last major upgrade.

If Bagnaia was having another weekend like Japan in Indonesia, perhaps the off-track chatter wouldn’t have affected him too much. The breakthrough he had seemingly made in the Motegi test would have been confirmed, and he would have been in a much better state of mind.

Instead, he endured his worst weekend of the year, with the debate over GP24/GP25 only complicating matters for him. The two-time MotoGP champion not only had to explain his performance drop in Mandalika but also had to answer repeated questions about the bike’s specification.

Further, Mandalika was the sixth race in eight weekends since the resumption of the season after the summer break, so one can imagine the impact that stretch had on its wellbeing. Ducati could have reduced the burden on him by being more transparent about the changes it has made to his bike, and letting him speak more openly on the matter too.

Ducati now appears to have realised its mistake, with Tardozzi stating after the race it is going to “protect” Bagnaia and look after his mental wellbeing. Still, the issue isn’t entirely one-sided and Bagnaia has to share the blame for his competitive struggles. In the same Misano test where he seemingly made a breakthrough, Marquez did a direct comparison between GP24 and GP25 and found that he was able to achieve the same lap times with both bikes by adjusting his riding styles.

The two Ducatis, too, have subtle differences. In pre-season testing, Marquez said that one offered more cornering speed, while the other’s strong point was braking stability. That balance may favour certain riding styles, and while Marquez never raced the GP24, Bagnaia’s familiarity with the older bike may make adapting to the GP25 more challenging.

With that being said, both Bagnaia and Ducati have a lot of work to do away from the track in the short gap to Australia. Their 2025 struggles have been a true test of the relationship, and it would be a shame if they can’t work out a solution to their problems soon.