“Yes, it's true”: Marco Bezzecchi explains GP23/GP24 “characteristics”

Reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia spent much of Sunday’s Indonesian MotoGP in the wheeltracks of Marco Bezzecchi’s Ducati GP23.

Bagnaia finally found a way past Bezzecchi on lap 22, then took just one lap to overtake fellow GP24 rider Franco Morbidelli, for what became third place.

“I needed maybe ten laps to overtake Bez. I was struggling a lot with the traction of his bike,” Bagnaia recalled. “As soon as I overtook him, Frankie was much easier because with the same bike as me, I knew what to do better.”

Bagnaia added: “The GP23 has more traction than our bike, and this kind of circuit is more affecting the acceleration. The rear grip is not too high.

“In the first acceleration, the GP23 has a bit more. I’m not saying that it’s a big step, but it’s a little step that in some situations can help.”

The performance difference between the new and old Desmosedicis has been a hot topic of debate this year.

Bezzecchi’s form is frequently highlighted, slipping from three wins and third in the world championship on a GP22, to ninth with one podium on a GP23 so far this season.

After a fifth place at Mandalika, the VR46 rider agreed with Bagnaia’s assessment that the GP23 can be stronger out of a corner: “Yes, it's true. But traction in the [corner] entry is a big problem for us.”

“[The GP24] is better in stopping and turning," Bezzecchi added. "And then in traction, for sure they have something less. 

"When we have a new front tyre especially we can try to stay with them in the entry. And then in the exit, maybe we gain something.

“But then when the front grip drops, we are destroyed. And they are fantastic.

“They turn so well... They are able to carry entry speed, they are smooth with the gas. And at the end [of the race] they also have more traction.

“For me, it's just a characteristic of the bikes. Our bike has more [exit] grip in angle. It's good. But for turning and for stopping it’s very bad.

“All the GP23 Ducati riders complain about the same problem. There are some tracks where I was able to adjust a bit, some tracks where I struggle a bit more. 

"But overall, the characteristic is this.”

The factory ride-height device also helps the GP24s compensate for exit traction on the long straights.

Meanwhile, the GP23’s corner entry struggles swayed Bezzecchi’s decision to join only five other riders in picking the soft front tyre for the Indonesian Grand Prix.

“I wasn't able to make the bike turn with the hard, I wasn't able to make the same lap times,” he said.

The future factory Aprilia rider qualified on the front row and finished fourth in the Sprint, but suffered a setback at the start of Sunday's race.

“A technical problem at the start, which we have not yet fully understood, penalised us: The front lowering device didn't engage three times in a row so compared to the others I basically started with [only] the rear [down],” he said.

“I was in the back [of the group], and for the soft front, staying all the race behind someone was very critical [difficult].

“So I was desperate to try to pass Franky. I put the bike in, didn't stop and then I didn't have the possibility to try again.

“But I'm happy, the battle is always fun.”

Riding in a special livery for title sponsor Pertamina, Bezzecchi took the chequered flag a fraction behind Morbidelli and 6.772s from race winner Jorge Martin.

Marc Marquez, the only rider to win on the GP23 this season, retired from seventh place due to a fiery technical failure on Sunday.