As the MotoGP paddock rolls into Assen, one of Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia’s favorite tracks, there’s still plenty of buzz around the Ducati garage — especially when it comes to the GP25 and its front-end woes.
Bagnaia has been battling ongoing stability issues with the GP25, particularly under braking and corner entry — areas where the two-time world champ usually shines. Despite the struggles, Bagnaia has made it clear: going back to the older GP24 isn’t an option. But his teammate, Marc Marquez, seems to think otherwise.
“If the factory team wants to use the same bike as Alex [Marquez], the GP24, we can do it,” Marc recently told the media. “I’ve tried new parts in some races and then gone back. It’s possible.”
So, What’s the Real Difference Between the GP25 and GP24?
The key issue is homologation. To use the exact same GP24 as Alex Marquez, the factory riders like Pecco and Marc would need to have registered the same engine spec at the start of the season. Thanks to MotoGP’s engine development freeze, once an engine is locked in, it can’t be changed during the season.
Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi explained the situation ahead of the Dutch GP:
“Pecco is on an evolved version of the 2024 bike. It has a slightly different engine, so we did two homologations — one for the 2024 spec and one for the 2025,” he told Sky Italia.
He also clarified that Bagnaia, Marc, and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Diggia) are running the latest evolution parts, unlike the satellite riders on the standard GP24.
Braking Issues Still Plague Bagnaia
Despite Ducati reverting to a ‘GP24-style’ engine over the winter, Bagnaia’s front-end problems have lingered. While some improvement was found using larger front brake discs during testing at Aragon, the lack of heavy braking zones at Mugello meant he returned to the standard 340mm discs — and with it, the old issues returned.
Pecco did manage to challenge for pole and run with Marc in the early laps at Mugello, but the pace faded once again.
“After a few laps, he loses confidence in the front,” Tardozzi said. “For the first 5 laps at Mugello, Pecco was fast and aggressive, but then front grip dropped.”
Marc Marquez, who ended up winning at Mugello, also noticed the difference in riding styles:
“Pecco was braking super late and hard, while I focused more on maintaining corner speed.”
Can Bagnaia Bounce Back at Assen?
Bagnaia heads into the Dutch GP trailing Marc Marquez by a whopping 110 points in the standings, and even sits 70 points behind Gresini’s Alex Marquez. But Assen could be a turning point — if Ducati can solve those nagging front-end problems.
Tardozzi is hopeful:
“Assen is one of Pecco’s favorite tracks, but we need to fix this front-end feeling. If we do, I’m confident he can fight with Marc again.”
