Alex Marquez suggested that the feeling of his new GP24 Ducati was like the “sister” bike to the previous GP22 MotoGP bike.
Gresini remained one of Ducati’s core satellite teams in 2025, and Marquez entered his third year with the team riding the Bologna bike that had delivered 16 Grand Prix wins in 2024.
The Spaniard put on an impressive display across the three days of the Sepang pre-season test, finishing in the top three each day and ending the final day on top.
The 28-year-old rated his confidence as “nine” out of ten aboard his new bike, indicating that the GP24 feels more natural for him to ride.
“The first two test days had already been positive, but this one [Friday] was even better,” he stated to GPOne.
“In general, we did a good job, apart from the fast lap, which is always important because you feel the bike responding when you ask it for the maximum.
“The most important thing is the pace, and the sprint simulation went very well.
“And everything looks good, but we’re in Sepang, and I love this circuit. We have to stay calm, and go to Thailand to see where we’re at.
“I struggled a lot last year with the GP23 but when you’re struggling, you learn more,” he explained.
“What I learned will help me progress this year. With the Ducati 2023, from zero to ten, my confidence was seven. With [the GP24] this bike, it’s nine.
“It’s definitely the best I’ve ridden, although the GP22 was very good. It feels like its sister.
Marquez pinpoints superior strengths of GP24 compared to GP23
The Spaniard pinpointed the superior strengths of the GP24 when asked about the differences compared to his bike from last year.”
“Especially on corner-entry is where I feel more comfortable,” he added. (Via Crash.net)
“With the 23, I was not able to perform on braking point, and especially I had a lot of weight on the front, pushing from the rear.
“This bike is more born for this rear tyre, this bike is done for this rear tyre and it’s something easier to go into the corner and feel the balance of the bike.
“[With the ride height device] in some accelerations you feel a little bit more, you can put a little bit more of torque because you have a little bit less front wheelie.
“In some tracks, especially Thailand Turn 3 it will be a good boost. But, if all that you can win is 0.003s is always welcome.”
READ MORE – 2025 Sepang MotoGP test rundown
