Factory Ducati pairing Francesco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini both believe that someone will win a MotoGP race on last season’s GP23 bike sooner rather than later.
The GP24 has made big strides in development compared to last term, with Bagnaia and Jorge Martin winning three races apiece in the opening seven races in 2024.
However, the GP23 has still proven to be competitive on certain tracks, with Gresini Ducati rider Marc Marquez logging eight podiums to sit third in the championship.
Meanwhile, VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio is the closest rider to Marquez in the standings on a GP22 having been classified inside the top 10 in the races he’s finished.
As a result, Bagnaia and Bastianini think it is still possible for an individual to win on last season’s bike, despite the former conceding the current spec is easier to ride.
“The fact is that we are adapting well,” said Bagnaia.
“Last year’s bike needed more time to adapt but was a very good bike. On some tracks it was very competitive, in other tracks it was less competitive.
“Here [in Mugello] the ‘23 [bike] was fantastic, also in Barcelona. So it’s difficult to know why [it wasn’t so fast this time].
“In the test in Jerez they had a new exhaust with the ’23 that helped a lot with the problems they were facing last year, and more or less right now are very similar [to GP24].
“I think the win from a ’23 bike will come soon. But right now the level is very high, with the new tyres it’s very high again and we are doing a very special job.
“We are not just here, we are not three slow riders, just we are doing a very excellent job.”
Meanwhile, Bastianini contends the difference between the GP23 and GP24 isn’t as big as others believe it to be and has tipped Marquez to win a race this campaign.
“I agree with Pecco. I remember last year it was important to bring some time, to do some modification on the bike was different compared to ’21 [bike I rode with Gresini in 2022],” he said.
“But the ’23 bike for me compared to ’24 is so similar and well, for me this did not change a lot.
“Like you say, Pecco, probably the ’23 bike can win in the future. But the problem is the level [of GP24 riders]. We are really close and Marc for the moment is much faster with the ’23 bike.
“But for the difference, for me, it’s not really a big one.”
Elsewhere, current championship leader Jorge Martin, who rides a GP24 with the satellite Pramac team, stated aspects of the GP23 are better than the current bike.
“For me, the big change on the ’24 is the braking, it’s what I felt. That’s why we finally chose the ’24,” he explained.
“But I thought here the ’23 will have been more competitive [in Mugello] because last year, in the changes of direction, I was stronger than this season.
“So this year I struggled quite a lot more with the ’24 than last year with the ’23. Now it’s difficult to say but they are so similar.”
