**”Ducati’s Satellite Struggles: The Quest for Updates Amidst Changing Specs”**

"The GP22 model was tailored for the Valencia circuit, while the GP23 model was designed for the Portimao track. I am optimistic that we can obtain the bike with the final updates from the 2023 season."

In the previous season, satellite Ducati riders on year-old Desmosedici GP22s achieved four MotoGP victories, with Marco Bezzecchi winning three races and Fabio di Giannantonio securing one. Additionally, there were three Sprint race wins, with Alex Marquez taking two and Bezzecchi winning one.

Up to this point in the season, the VR46 and Gresini teams, now operating with the GP23, haven't secured any victories in either Grand Prix or Sprint races. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez is performing at a level comparable to Bezzecchi's third-place finish in last year's world championship.

Alex Marquez, who secured his first podium finish of the season right behind Marc at the Sachsenring, has described the differences in the cornering characteristics between the GP22 and GP23, which are well-documented.

"Last year was unique for me since I used the bike that they completed the 2022 season with in Valencia. This year, however, we began with the bike that they introduced at the start of the 2023 season in Portimao."

To put it differently, the GP23s satellite bikes essentially started this season as models that were already a year old, unlike the GP22s used in Valencia, which were only four months old at the time.

Alex Marquez expressed his hope that the team will have the bike with the 2023 updates available from now until the end of the season.

The most noticeable modification to the championship-winning GP23 last season was the mid-season update to its fairing. Elements of this update were observed at VR46 and Gresini shortly before the summer break.

Addressing the audience from the Sachsenring podium, the #73 rider swiftly acknowledged that, at present, only Marc is fully utilizing the potential of the GP23 package.

Alex mentioned that he hasn't yet pushed the GP23 to its full potential. He admitted that, due to his particular riding style, he's found this bike to be somewhat challenging to handle since the start of the year. In contrast, the GP22 is a better fit for him.

"However, we haven't reached our full potential yet. Currently, Marc is pushing this bike to its maximum, particularly when it comes to race pace. That's the area where I'm having difficulties."

Next year, Marc will ride the newest factory-spec GP25 for Ducati Lenovo, whereas Alex, who has renewed his contract with Gresini, is anticipated to continue using a bike that is one year old.

The inquiry is whether the satellite GP24s for the next year will be of the 'Qatar 2024 specification' or the 'Valencia 2024 specification'.

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