Jack Appleyard shares what Ducati chief Davide Tardozzi has now told him about crunch engine decision

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Ducati will certainly be the manufacturer to beat in the 2025 MotoGP season. Pre-season testing looks to have all but confirmed that.

The Bologna-based manufacturer won 19 out of 20 races in 2024, with the GP24 spec winning 16 of them. The factory Ducati team will have Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez in their rider line-up – statistically the best on the grid.

Marquez put in some standout performances on the GP23 with Gresini last year and he will now step up to the GP25 spec. This year’s bike is expected to be the strongest in the season, but that may not be the case in the early races.

Alex Marquez topped the timesheets on day three in Sepang last week. The Spaniard was just seven thousandths quicker than Bagnaia on the GP24.

VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli also impressed as he topped day two in Malaysia. As the GP24 proved to be the bike to have, Morbidelli says victories are ‘definitely’ possible in the early stages.

The performance of the GP24 was perhaps expected given it was so dominant last season. But it has created a headache for the factory team as they have a huge decision to make.

Davide Tardozzi confirms Ducati will decide on their 2025 package by the end of day one in Buriram

It would be unrealistic for Ducati to think they could find even more tenths in the GP25. But the performance of the GP24 means they have a key decision to make on their package.

Under the concession system, Ducati, Aprilia and KTM’s 2025 engines will be frozen – meaning they will have to run the spec this year and next season.

With the performances of Alex Marquez and Morbidelli in Sepang, Ducati now must decide whether to go with a 2024 or 2025 modification of the engine and aero for their factory riders Marc Marquez, Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio on the GP25.

READ MORE: Many MotoGP teams are ‘already regretting’ asking Dorna for one change in 2025

Speaking on MotoGP’s Midday Live show in Buriram, Jack Appleyard revealed that Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi confirmed the decision will be made at the end of day one. The team plan to run the full 2025 package on day two to prepare for the Thailand Grand Prix in two weeks time.

“You’d have to say going into the Thai Grand Prix at this current moment, it looked as though the four names that we’re going to be speaking about will come as not much surprise to anyone”, said Appleyard.

“But the big hitters going into it and going to be: Alex Marquez on the GP24, Franco Morbidelli on the GP24 and Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia on the GP25 despite the fact that they have got some big decisions to make.

“Today is D-Day for Ducati. Davide Tardozzi confirming to me at the start of the day, is that all decisions with regards to their 2025 package will be made by the end of the day because then they want to spend tomorrow fully working on round one to make sure they can be as competitive as possible”.

How Alex Marquez’s blistering Sepang pace compares to Jorge Martin

Alex Marquez was the standout rider in Sepang for Gresini. The Spaniard will have much confidence on the GP24 this year as he searches for his maiden MotoGP win.

Marquez was just a tenth off of Bagnaia’s mighty 2024 pole lap – a commendable effort from the 28-year-old. Different track conditions will have played a factor as there would have likely been more rubber on track for testing due to the Shakedown session the week prior.

In the Sprint simulations, Marquez blitzed Jorge Martin’s average pace in the Sprint race last year by six tenths. The latter battled hard with Bagnaia for the win over multiple laps, which likely would have slowed him down.

Ducati’s decision on their 2025 package could affect the satellite riders and if they can be competitive against the factory runners. But Marquez is not focusing on others – a mistake he made last year – as he looks to better himself this season.