Finger pointed at biggest threat to Ducati at Argentina MotoGP

The biggest danger to Ducati’s dominance at the Argentina MotoGP has been identified.

Ducati were on top during the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix with Marc Marquez unstoppable throughout the weekend.

Behind him, Alex Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia ensured it was a Ducati free-for-all.

But heading to Argentina, they have been told to watch out for Aprilia.

Factory rider Marco Bezzecchi won the 2023 Argentina MotoGP (on a VR46 Ducati) and also won at this circuit in Moto3.

Rookie Ai Ogura also shone in Thailand and could reproduce that form again, even if Aprilia’s star man Jorge Martin is still out injured.

Marco Bezzecchi pinpointed for Argentina MotoGP

DOWNLOAD CRASH MOTOGP PODCAST HERE

“The Aprilia generally, in these conditions, works well. It has a strong front end, it’s a good agile bike,” Lewis Duncan told the Crash MotoGP podcast.

“You’re looking at Aprilia taking a step forward. Bezzecchi had a strong first weekend and now knows what the weak point is - at the moment, it’s qualifying.

“He’s not quite sure where the limit of the bike is. He’s riding it automatically like it’s a Ducati, which will take time to get over.

“He was seventh on the grid in Thailand. If that’s the benchmark for when his time attack is not brilliant? It’s not bad at all.

“A lot of the Argentina weekend will depend on how well you get out of the gate on Friday.

“Friday will be a difficult day, it always is, because of the track conditions. If you come through that in a good place, the job is almost half-done.

“If you’re on the back foot going into qualifying, you’re playing catch-up.”

Doubts over Yamaha and Honda

Yamaha caught the eye during pre-season testing but weren’t able to convert that optimism into results in Thailand.

However, the unique track conditions may have played a role in hiding Yamaha’s true potential.

Lewis Duncan said about Yamaha in Argentina: “We go back to the normal tyre carcass on the rear which should help.

“If they can get into a sweet spot with the front end, it should help.

“We haven’t seen the true form of Yamaha yet. Thailand was disappointing, there's no way of dressing it up. We expected more.

“Is Argentina going to be a real reflection? If they come away more competitively than Thailand, then it’s a good indicator.

“If they come away in the same place, it suggests there is more work to do. But maybe the track is the problem, with its grip.”

Honda, the weakest manufacturer last year, saw Johann Zarco finish seventh in Thailand.

“Honda came through the Thai weekend strongly,” Lewis Duncan said.

“They don’t have traction or top speed but they were fine, they were competitive by their standards.

“Austin and Spain are the next races for Honda that I’m keeping an eye on.

“They are both good circuits for that bike, generally. Especially at Jerez without a long straight.

“Argentina will be interesting because it will give us more of an idea of where the Japanese manufacturers are.

“But it’s an odd circuit so there will be caveats.”