Former 125cc rider and VR46 team manager Pablo Nieto believes the Ducati GP24 is so dominant in MotoGP this year because it is much “easier” and “smoother” to ride than its predecessor.
Ducati’s newest bike has been the class of the field this year, winning ten of the eleven rounds so far and securing a podium finish in four of the last five rounds.
Only Gresini’s Marc Marquez was able to pose a certain challenge on his GP23 bike from last year, but he too has not been on the podium since the German Grand Prix before the summer break in July.
This is in stark contrast to the 2023 season, when the then one-year-old GP22 was reasonably competitive against Ducati’s latest bike and VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi was even fighting for the title after winning three Grand Prix.
Opinions are divided as to what sets Ducati’s new bike apart from last year’s GP23 – which was itself a title-winning bike in the hands of factory rider Francesco Bagnaia – and whether it is actually faster than its predecessor.
Bagnaia and his championship rival Jorge Martin claim that the two bikes are much more similar than the results suggest, with the Italian even claiming that GP23 has received more updates this year than his own bike.
However, most insiders in the paddock disagree with this view, insisting that GP24’s ability to extract more power from Michelin’s new rear tyre gives it an edge over the competition.
VR46 team manager Nieto has now weighed in on the debate about the two Ducati bikes, supporting those who say that GP24 is superior to its rivals. However, this is not due to any hardware improvements, he says, rather he believes the latest Desmosedici is faster because it is much easier to ride on track – and therefore you can push it to the limit.
Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team
Photo by: Media VR46
When asked if there was a big difference between GP24 and GP23, he told the Spanish broadcaster Dazn: “A little bit, yes, it’s true, it goes in cycles.
“Last year the difference between the two bikes (GP23 and GP22) was not so, so, so big. This year they made that small step.
“I think it’s more about the way the bike is ridden than the difference. The GP24 is a much easier bike, much smoother.
“On the GP23, the peak power of the engine is much more aggressive. And that makes riding the bike, whether you want it to be or not, much worse.”
VR46 has to contend with two GP23s this year and has only managed a single podium finish after the first eleven rounds of the season, thanks to Bezzecchi at Jerez in April.
However, it is his teammate Fabio di Giannantonio who has attracted attention this year with a series of consistent performances and has secured a direct contract with Ducati for the 2025/26 season.
Di Giannantonio will be one of only three riders with access to GP25 next year, as VR46 becomes Ducati’s only factory-supported team.
Nieto praised the Italian for the way he has turned his fortunes around in MotoGP, having feared he would be left without a seat in 2024 following Marc Marquez’s surprise move to his former team Gresini over the winter.
“We have seen a thousand times that there are riders who have no space and suddenly start to perform well and get results,” said Nieto.
“Di Giannantonio is doing a spectacular job. He is almost always the second best GP23 (behind Marquez), which I think is very important because I know Marc is always there.”
“I think we can even fight for a podium place by the end of the year, which I think would be the most important thing this year.”
