Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia clearly felt Ducati’s GP25 motorcycle was a step in the wrong direction. He had won 11 Grands Prix on the GP24, narrowly missing out on a third straight title.
Bagnaia’s podium rate on the 2024 bike was exactly 80%, but it fell to 36.3% last year. His only victories came in Austin, when Marc Marquez crashed, and Japan, when his domination left even Ducati confused.
The problem for Bagnaia is that Marquez was so dominant on the same machinery. The Spaniard won 11 out of 18 races before his season-ending injury.
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On that basis, Luigi Dall’Igna had little incentive to make fundamental changes to the bike for 2026. In fact, doing so may have bothered Marquez, arguably the brand’s most valuable asset.
Ducati will adapt ‘details’ of their bikes to Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez
In an interview with SPORT, Dall’Igna was asked whether Ducati would be working on ‘two different bikes’ for their riders this year.
VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli is expected to race with a GP24 rather than the troublesome GP25. Bagnaia may also prefer the two-year-old bike.
But that’s not the policy at Ducati’s factory team. Instead, they will only adapt ‘certain details’ of the two bikes to suit their riders.
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Bagnaia tested an early version of the 2026 bike in Valencia last year but the upcoming event in Sepang (3-6 February) will offer a clearer picture.
“There won’t be two different bikes,” Dall’Igna said. The GP26 is the same, although with certain details adapted to the needs of each rider. We are prepared and have the resources to do it.
Luigi Dall’Igna chooses between the Ducati GP24 and GP25
Dall’Igna maintains that Ducati’s GP25 is the best bike he has built. Marquez and Bagnaia combined for 13 victories from a possible 22.
However, in the hands of Bagnaia, Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini, the GP24 won 16 out of 20 races. Ducati’s advantage over rival manufacturers was considerably larger; only Aprilia denied them a clean sweep.
But Dall’Igna has dismissed the idea that the Bologna outfit peaked with their 2024 machine. In fact, he says that the GP26 will set a new benchmark based on the early indications.
Founded in 1926, Ducati are celebrating their centenary this year, which would make a world championship even more meaningful.
Dall’Igna said: “The number 24 bike had a significant advantage over the rest of the grid and was very dominant. But, from my point of view, the GP25 was better, and the goal is for the GP26 to surpass it.
“On paper, it should be; the numbers indicate as much, although we’ll have to go to Sepang, test it, and decide which ideas are confirmed and which are discarded. For now, I’ll just say that I really like the design and the centenary colours.
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