Ducati is set to make a decision over whether it will use its new engine for the 2025 MotoGP season following this week’s Buriram test.
The Italian manufacturer has been undecided as to which engine it will use after finding similar performance from the 2024 and 2025 prototypes at the first pre-season test in Sepang.
Riders Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia will continue to test both engines in Buriram as Ducati looks to confirm it’s decision ahead of the first race of the year.
Marquez says it’s currently unclear which one is better but it may be a better option to use the “conservative” 2024 engine.
“It’s not only an engine, it’s always a package of small things, and now the engineers will have time to analyse a lot of laps for me and for Pecco [Bagnaia],” Marquez told MotoGP.com after the Sepang test.
“I think they will do a good decision because what I see these three days in the garage is they are very brave and calm to take the correct decisions.
“Sometimes you need to be conservative when you have already the best bike.
“We need to be super-clear, super-sure, that it’s much better, and at the moment we don’t know. So, we need to wait.”
Marquez’s opinions come from a desire to avoid risk with the upcoming engine freeze, which is set to last the same length as Marquez’s Ducati contract.
“We cannot take an unnecessary risk,” he said.
“We need to understand that, with the previous package, already they won 19 races from 20. But of course always the engineers and the manufacturers want to improve.
“If it’s not completely sure then it’s better to step back because it’s smart.”
Francesco Bagnaia: 2025 Ducati engine is ‘missing something’
Bagnaia suggested he feels differently to his new teammate and highlighted that the 2024 machinery is already one year old.
While the Italian admitted the new engine has “fantastic” power delivery, he conceded that it is still “missing something”.
“The thing is that the GP24 is a fantastic machine and it’s working super-well,” said Francesco Bagnaia to MotoGP.com.
“But it’s already [been] one season that we are using it. The GP25, the engine, looks fantastic, the power delivery is fantastic, but it’s still missing something.
“So, it’s not an easy choice and we still need these two days more in Thailand to understand.”
Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi held a similar opinion to Marquez, and revealed that the balance after Sepang is leaning more towards the 2024 engine.
“[The 2025 engine] has really good potential, but in the end we are thinking that the rules force us to be conservative because this engine must be used for two years,” he said.
“So, at this moment, the balance is a bit more towards the 2024 than the 2025, but the last decision will be taken in Thailand.”
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