Ducati’s Dual Strategy: Enhancing GP23 for Marquez’s Title Chase Amid GP24 Dominance

Ducati pledges improvements to GP23, potentially aiding Marc Marquez in MotoGP championship pursuit

Despite transitioning to GP24, Ducati commits to enhancing GP23 in any possible way

Ducati's chief Gigi Dall’Igna states that any possible enhancements for the GP23 will be implemented throughout the remaining 2024 MotoGP campaign.

This observation follows a weekend at the British Grand Prix where Ducati's advancements in their 2024 model were most clearly showcased.

At Silverstone, in both events, the GP24s dominated the podium, with Enea Bastianini finishing in the lead.

Compared to this point in the 2023 season, where a Ducati from the previous year claimed two victories, no current model of the Desmosedici has managed to secure a win in any sprint or grand prix event to date.

Marc Marquez, finishing fourth at the British Grand Prix and currently trailing the championship leader by 62 points, observed that the GP24 belonging to his competitors has started to exhibit distinct advantages over the GP23 at specific circuits.

In a conversation with Sky Italy after the British Grand Prix, Dall'Igna commended his team's progress on enhancing the 2024 motorcycle. He also made a commitment to continue upgrading the GP23 throughout the season.

"He emphasized their consistent effort towards addressing issues, believing they've effectively handled them."

"We've certainly enhanced the GP24 in the areas where the GP23 showed some deficiencies."

Observations have been made not only here in Silverstone but at other tracks as well. I must acknowledge that the team back at the factory has performed exceptionally well.

"As usual, everything stems from grasping specific processes and particular challenges.

Once you grasp specific concepts, implementing the solutions becomes more straightforward.

"Regarding the GP23, we are committed to making enhancements wherever possible, and we will persist in this effort throughout the year."

Overall, since his move to Ducati, Marquez has largely adapted to his new technical circumstances, securing nine podium finishes in both sprints and Grand Prix races within the initial 10 rounds of the 2024 season.

Nonetheless, he mentioned at Silverstone that even when he manages to fine-tune his bike's setup to compete at the leading positions, he's pushing it to its maximum capacity.

As the season progresses, significant improvements on the GP23 over the GP24 are not expected, according to Dall'Igna's remarks, which come at a crucial moment in the championship race.

Pramac's Jorge Martin is at the forefront, while Enea Bastianini's back-to-back victories have propelled him past Marquez into third place in the rankings, now just 49 points behind the leader.

Martin and Bastianini are set to depart from Ducati when the season concludes, as they were both overlooked for the secondary factory team position, which went to Marquez instead.

Ever since Martin inked a deal with Aprilia, it's been viewed as unthinkable for Ducati to keep putting its complete backing behind him and Pramac, especially to allow him to carry the #1 plate over to a competitor.

Bastianini's recent performance has indicated he might replicate previous successes, potentially easing Ducati's quandary. This could be further assisted if some of its GP23 racers, including Marquez, receive upgrades that enable them to disrupt the leading GP24 contenders.

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