‘Eagle-eyed’ MotoGP insider spots vital sticker on Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati bike at Buriram Test

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Francesco Bagnaia was eighth fastest for Ducati on the first day of the Buriram Test. Teammate Marc Marquez set the pace on the penultimate day of pre-season action.

Bagnaia’s time of 1:30.028 left him around eight-tenths adrift of Marquez’s late benchmark. The gap won’t be a concern at this stage.

In fact, the Italian may be encouraged by his teammate’s effort. There were signs in Sepang that last year’s GP24 may be marginally quicker at the start of the season.

But Marquez blitzed his brother Alex by nearly half a second at the end of day one. It was an ominous marker from last year’s world champions.

The final day of running should offer a clearer picture. There are just over two weeks remaining before the 2025 season gets underway in Thailand.

Francesco Bagnaia ends first day of Buriram Test with 2024 Ducati engine

At Ducati, all the focus this winter has been on the engine. The Bologna outfit must decide between the 2024 and 2025 models.

They won 19 out of 20 Grands Prix last year, so while the GP25 engine may have a higher ceiling long-term, they may not take the risk. With a two-year freeze looming, the decision takes on an even greater significance.

Speaking on MotoGP’s ‘After the Flag‘ show, Jack Appleyard said his colleague had spotted a revealing sticker on the side of Bagnaia’s bike at the end of the day. It had passed 2024 scrutineering checks.

It’s clear that they are now leaning towards last year’s engine. The combined package features the latest aerodynamic innovations.

Appleyard said: “One of our eagle-eyed colleagues, Emilio Vazquez, on Pecco’s final exit had noticed that, not only has he got with the 2025 aero with the new additions to the seat [and] the slightly bigger sidepods, on the side of the bike there’s a particular yellow sticker which confirms it had been through scrutineering for 2024 MotoGP.

“That can only mean that Bagnaia is doing his last laps on that 2024 engine, as has Marc Marquez for the entirety of today.”

Ducati were doing something ‘very interesting’ in their garage in Buriram

Team manager Davide Tardozzi confirmed that Ducati were facing D-day on Wednesday. They want to spend the last eight-hour session optimising the bike for the Thailand Grand Prix.

Marquez’s critics say he can’t set up a bike, but his new team are leaning heavily on his feedback already. He’s effectively adapting to two new motorcycles after spending last year on the GP23 at Gresini.

Ducati did something ‘very interesting’ on day one, with many of the parts they trialled in Sepang now ‘disappearing’. They may start the season with a mix-and-match package, but there’s no indication that any other manufacturer can challenge them at this stage.

Tardozzi is wary of Fabio Quartararo, the 2021 world champion, but if anything that bodes well. Yamaha jumping to second in the pecking order would be a poor reflection on KTM and Aprilia given how last year played out.