How Engine Brake Freedom Revolutionized Ducati: Insights from Bagnaia and Marquez

Francesco Bagnaia: Ducati's 2020 Engine Braking Flexibility Revolutionized the Bike

Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez discuss the crucial role of personalized engine braking settings on the Ducati: "This feature allows various riding styles to seamlessly fit our bike."

Several hypotheses exist regarding the precise timing and reasons behind the Ducati Desmosedici's transformation into the most versatile motorcycle on the MotoGP circuit, able to secure victories with diverse riding techniques.

However, the pivotal moment for current world champion Francesco Bagnaia occurred in 2020.

In his debut season with Pramac, the Italian rider secured only 15th place in the rankings. Meanwhile, Andrea Dovizioso, riding for the factory Ducati team, ended up as the runner-up to Marc Marquez for the third consecutive year.

Staying with the Pramac satellite team but now equipped with the newest version of the Desmosedici, Bagnaia became significantly more competitive in 2020.

Rider #63 quickly achieved his first podium finish and competed for wins, overcoming an early leg injury, which earned him a spot on the factory team for the next season.

Looking back on the period when the Ducati evolved into a bike that handled corners more adeptly, after years of focusing predominantly on its straight-line speed, Bagnaia shared his thoughts:

The realization came in 2020 when the engineers recognized that Ducati riders could adopt various riding styles.

Back in 2019, the dynamics between the factory teams and the satellite teams were significantly different from what they are today.

"My main issue was with braking since I was unable to control the engine brake as I desired."

"In 2020, when adjustments were made to the engine brake to suit all the various riders, we noticed a significant improvement in our performance."

"The engine brake setting I used was entirely different from the one Dovizioso, who was the benchmark, was using."

"Once we began implementing those changes, we noticed the bike was handling turns better and maintaining high speed through the corners."

One advantage of our current bike is its ability to accommodate a variety of riding styles.

"We don't operate with a single configuration: a single engine brake, a single power output, and so forth. We have multiple options because each rider requires personalized settings, and we focus on these individual adjustments every weekend."

Marc Marquez, who joined Gresini Ducati from Honda this season, emphasized that adjusting the engine braking to match his riding style is a crucial task at every race.

The eight-time world champion explained that upon arriving at each race track, they review data from the previous year’s Ducati riders. However, he noted that every rider has their own unique approach, particularly when it comes to engine braking.

"And that's why we spend extra time organizing it properly to suit my approach."

Marquez secured his initial Ducati triumphs by winning both the Aragon Sprint and the Aragon Grand Prix.

Next year, the Spanish rider will bypass the GP24 model and directly transition to the GP25, joining Bagnaia as a teammate on the factory team.

When questioned about potential enhancements for the current factory-spec Desmosedici, Bagnaia responded:

“There’s no such thing as an ideal bike, but in certain scenarios, we lack the traction we used to have, and I’ve brought this issue to the attention of the engineers.”

Bagnaia enters the Misano race this weekend trailing GP24 teammate Jorge Martin (Pramac) by 23 points, while Marquez is in third place on his GP23, 70 points off the lead.

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