Why Qatar showed that Ducati are more dominant than ever in MotoGP
The likes of Brad Binder and Aleix Espargaro had their moments in Qatar, but it was Ducati who again reigned supreme.
Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia, last season’s MotoGP title contenders, were victorious in the sprint and grand prix, respectively.
However, Ducati’s dominance went well beyond the winner of the race, as their presence was felt heavily throughout the top ten.
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Martin won the sprint ahead of KTM’s Brad Binder and Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro, but positions four through to seven were all Ducati riders.
In the grand prix, Bagnaia took victory again ahead of Binder, however, Ducati’s stranglehold on the top positions was even more impressive.
Martin led home five Ducati riders in third, with Marc Marquez fourth on his Gresini debut.
But aside from the finishing order, what we learned is that the Ducati, whether it’s the GP24 or last year’s title-winning machine, is still the best bike on the grid.
Top speed has not been an issue for many years, but it’s the edge grip, cornering speed and braking prowess of their bikes that are providing a headache for their opposition.
Binder had to ride out of his skin to finish second in both races, but when it came to the longer grand prix, tyre wear also seemed to favour Ducati.
To highlight this argument here are some of the stats Ducati helped their riders achieve over the Qatar round.
Bagnaia’s win meant he became the first world champion to win the season-opener after winning the final grand prix of 2023, since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015/16.
Bagnaia’s win in Qatar was also the 10th consecutive win for Ducati across grand prix races, a new record for the Italian brand and MotoGP record.
After a torrid 2023 season, Marc Marquez’s fourth place finish was his best result since P2 in Phillip Island (2022).
Jorge Martin’s win in the sprint was his 10th out of 20 races - Ducati’s 17th sprint win in the same number of races.
Bagnaia’s total of 19 MotoGP wins is just four shy of Casey Stoner’s Ducati tally.
With Bagnaia and Martin combining for a double podium finish, Ducati’s streak of rostrum results was extended to 47 with at least one rider on the podium.
While race pace continues to be a huge strength for Ducati, their performance over one lap also remains better than other manufacturers.
It’s a combination that is proving deadly as the likes of KTM and Aprilia are closest to challenging, but struggle to do so on a consistent basis.
