Ducati’s Dominance and Marquez’s Mastery: A Glimpse into MotoGP’s Future at Phillip Island

Marc Marquez demonstrated Ducati's promising outlook in Australia. The events at Phillip Island highlighted that Ducati has made the correct decisions for their 2025 plans.

Ducati maintained its streak of groundbreaking achievements during its period of complete control in MotoGP at the Australian Grand Prix.

In an unprecedented achievement in the modern era, a single manufacturer dominated the top six positions of a grand prix, as riders Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez each claimed victories in the two races.

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It's been since 1997, when Honda dominated with the NSR500, that a manufacturer has accomplished such a remarkable achievement. This highlights the impressive work Ducati is putting in. The race saw a GP23 bike finish ahead of two GP24s, followed by another GP23 and two additional GP24s.

The KTM ridden by Brad Binder was the first non-Ducati motorcycle to finish in Australia, trailing the grand prix winner by 15.450 seconds.

By 2025, other teams will have a greater chance to challenge Ducati's dominance at the top of the leaderboards. Ducati will see a reduction in its presence on the grid, with two of its motorcycles being removed as Pramac partners with Yamaha. Consequently, only three of Ducati's bikes will be equipped with GP25s.

This doesn't mean that Ducati won't occasionally dominate the top six positions, but achieving this will become more challenging.

A Look Ahead at Ducati's Promising Future

Despite potential changes, Ducati’s dominance on the podium is expected to remain constant. The team achieved a 1-2-3 finish in both races at Phillip Island, showcasing their superiority over the competition.

During a moment in the 27-lap grand prix, we saw a preview of what Ducati envisions for 2025 as they prepare to select Francesco Bagnaia's team partner for the factory team leading up to the Italian GP.

In a perfect scenario, Ducati aimed to achieve both goals. They had already extended the contract of two-time world champion Bagnaia until the conclusion of 2026 and were planning to pair him with Martin as his teammate.

Marquez could seamlessly fit into a factory GP25 role at Pramac.

During the 12th lap of the grand prix, Ducati showcased its vision for the future.

As the riders began the lap, Martin was at the front with Marquez and Bagnaia following closely, while the rest of the competitors trailed by 3.872 seconds. Martin veered off course at Turn 1, giving Bagnaia the opportunity to pass him at Turn 3. However, Martin quickly countered the move at Turn 4, allowing Marquez to slip into second place.

For a short but thrilling period, three top riders from today's MotoGP scene, all riding Ducatis, competed fiercely for the race lead. This was an ideal snapshot for Ducati, showcasing their exceptional work in dominating the MotoGP racing scene. It highlighted three riders from three distinct teams, all piloting two of Ducati's finest motorcycles ever created.

However, it also served as a poignant reminder of missed opportunities.

The idea of having all three riders competing for dominance on GP25s during the 2025 season was an exciting possibility when it was initially suggested.

However, the scenario Marquez envisioned will not materialize following his strategic maneuver before the Italian GP. He declared that his choices were limited to either joining the factory team or securing a works bike at Gresini—a proposal that Ducati had outright dismissed. Otherwise, he would pursue a plan C alternative at another location.

Everyone is familiar with the narrative, yet Phillip Island offered a preview of what Ducati's future could look like. CEO Claudio Domenicali had valid concerns about missing this opportunity if they failed to accommodate Marquez's requirements.

Marquez's Impressive Comeback

An image captures the essence of Marc Márquez's performance 💨📸 @marcmarquez93 #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/6xRiztTvt7— Crash MotoGP (@crash_motogp) October 21, 2024

An image captures the essence of Marc Márquez's performance 💨📸 @marcmarquez93 #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/6xRiztTvt7

At the beginning of the race, an unusual incident involving a visor tear-off almost ruined Marquez's entire grand prix. The wheelspin caused by this incident pushed him from his initial second-place position on the grid down to 13th by the first corner. Alex Marquez played a role in this scenario by pushing Jack Miller aside, allowing a clear path for his brother Marc. Despite this, Marc's remarkable recovery to reach sixth place by Turn 6 was commendable.

At the start of the race, he was 1.269 seconds behind Martin, but by the sixth lap, he had climbed back into a podium position, trailing Bagnaia, who was in second, by 0.737 seconds. On the 12th lap, he overtook Bagnaia in a three-way contest that also included Martin. His initial attempt to overtake the Pramac rider, Martin, occurred on the 24th lap when Martin slightly overshot the exit of Turn 4.

Martin's comeback highlighted his tenacity, even though he had to be cautious about his standing in the championship. Equally commendable was his cooperation during Marquez's bold Turn 4 maneuver on lap 25, which ultimately clinched the race victory, as much as the overtaking move itself.

After the race, Marquez grinned as he reflected, "This was a throwback to the old days. On tracks like these, with frequent stop-and-go sections, our current aerodynamics prevent us from racing like this anymore."

"On Phillip Island, where there aren't any tough braking sections, it's possible to trail behind others effectively, which aligns well with my strengths in riding style."

"Actually, while I was trailing Martin, I felt very at ease. I was riding in a relaxed manner—not necessarily effortlessly, but smoothly—keeping a consistent gap and biding my time for the final laps."

Marquez managed to cross the finish line just 0.997 seconds ahead of Martin, marking his first year with three grand prix victories since 2021. Before the event, Martin expressed a desire to revisit the 2014 and 2015 MotoGP seasons to better evaluate his capabilities as a racer. The race at Phillip Island provided him with the clarity he sought.

Marc Marquez's Analysis of Lap Times

An astounding performance on the track by Marc Marquez 🚀. His quickest lap during the race surpassed his top qualifying time by a tenth of a second 🤯. #MotoGP #AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/mQhsQTxtXN— Crash MotoGP (@crash_motogp) October 20, 2024

An astounding performance on the track by Marc Marquez 🚀. His quickest lap during the race surpassed his top qualifying time by a tenth of a second 🤯. #MotoGP #AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/mQhsQTxtXN

One could argue that the 2024 Australian Grand Prix might stand out as Marquez’s finest victory in MotoGP. Overcoming a shaky start was impressive in itself, but analyzing his speed throughout the race highlights just how exceptional Marquez’s performance truly was.

On average, Marquez lapped 0.117 seconds faster than Martin during the entire race. Although Martin was in the lead for a significant portion of the event, the Gresini rider had to execute multiple overtaking maneuvers.

Marc Marquez managed to complete laps in the 1 minute and 27-second range seven times, including setting a new racing lap record of 1 minute and 27.765 seconds. In comparison, Jorge Martin achieved this feat four times.

Remarkably, Marquez's speed allowed him to complete three laps quicker than his Q2 performance, which had secured him the second position on the starting grid. Additionally, six of his laps during the race were fast enough to earn him a spot in the front row of qualifiers.

Nearly all of his laps during the race were fast enough to earn him a spot on the second row. Despite the less-than-ideal conditions in Q2, he managed to maintain these speeds while racing with a heavier fuel load and on soft tires that had to last for 27 laps.

During his last two laps, his times were both 1 minute and 28.0 seconds. In comparison, Martin completed his laps in 1 minute and 28.464 seconds and 1 minute and 28.576 seconds. To put this performance into perspective, he achieved it on a bike that was a year old. According to Ducati and their riders, there aren't significant differences between the GP24 and GP23 models.

At Phillip Island, the gap between the top GP23 rider, Marquez, who finished first, and the next GP23 rider, Fabio Di Giannantonio, who came fourth, was 12.997 seconds when they crossed the finish line. Throughout the 17 races held in the 2024 season up to this point, Marquez has earned 195 more points than the next highest-scoring GP23 rider, Di Giannantonio.

As of now, Marquez has an average of 20.29 points per event after participating in 17 rounds. In contrast, Di Giannantonio averages 8.82 points per round, resulting in a significant gap of 11.4 points between the two competitors.

In recent races, the GP23 appears to have fallen behind the GP24s in performance. Following an engine failure at the Indonesian Grand Prix, various reports indicated that Ducati reverted to a previous flywheel configuration on the GP23's engine, as a change in this component was identified as the source of the issue.

Overall, the 2024 Australian Grand Prix prompts curiosity about Marquez's potential performance on a factory Ducati.

Since the start of the 2024 season, Ducati's executives have been pondering a crucial question, spurred by Marquez's impressive podium finishes on the Gresini-managed GP23. This question eventually prompted Ducati to reverse its decision regarding the 2025 rider lineup, a move that resulted in the departure of Martin, Pramac, and, in a roundabout way, Marco Bezzecchi as well.

Phillip Island has brought up the question once more, yet this time there's a hint of an answer. This is especially true if, as Marquez suggests, the Australian track is a place where the skill of the rider can still stand out in today's era of advanced motorcycles.

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