Ducati drop hint about crunch engine decision in Buriram

Ducati have hinted at the massive engine decision which their 2025 MotoGP season hinges on.

At this week's two-day Buriram test they must decide whether to commit to their new engine, or use last season's.

Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, their factory riders, tested both in Sepang and know their title hopes rest upon making the right decision.

“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, for Pecco [Francesco 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 [the 2025 engine] much better, and at the moment we don’t know. So, we need to wait.”

Marquez’s favouring of a conservative approach to the 2025 bike comes from a desire to avoid risk, especially when any mistakes will have to be endured for two seasons – the length of Marquez’s current, and first, 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.

“But if it’s not completely sure then it’s better to step back because it’s smart. But [there are] some positives on the 2025, so still [we need to] try to understand.”

Ducati admit new engine 'missing something'

Marquez’s teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, offered the counter-point that the 2024 engine is already one-year-old, although he also admitted that the 2025 engine is “still missing something”.

“The thing is that the GP24 is a fantastic machine and it’s working super-well,” said Francesco Bagnaia, speaking 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.”

Bagnaia refused to confirm whether a sub-par time attack, where he lost time on two sectors, was while using the 2025 engine.

Ducati Lenovo team manager Davide Tardozzi held a similar opinion to Marquez, and revealed that the balance after Sepang is leaning more in the direction of 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].”