Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia are looking to take Ducati to another MotoGP title in 2026 with the Desmosedici GP26.
Both sides of the Ducati garage were in different situations in 2025. Marquez was dominating the championship on a bike that Bagnaia absolutely hated and could not adapt to, winning just two races to his teammate’s 11.
But in 2026, the two factory Ducati riders seem in a similar boat with the new bike. The Borgo Panigale outfit have taken inspiration from their dominant GP24, with Marquez testing the 2024 aero during pre-season testing at Sepang.
What jumps out from the race simulations? ⏱️
Bagnaia found what he’d been ‘looking for’ throughout 2025 on the GP26, as the bike gave him the feeling in braking and corner entry. The Italian looks to be revived on the new Ducati, after he outpaced teammate Marquez with his race simulation.
All Ducati riders were smiling in Malaysia as they expressed satisfaction with the new bike. But the factory riders may have found an extra trick to give them the edge.
Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia have an extra lever to give them the ‘perfect’ start with the GP26
Peter Bom was present at the Sepang test, and he was watching the Ducati riders closely in the pit lane. He noticed that their GP26 featured an extra lever that no one else had.
Speaking on the Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast, he noted how this lever could give Marquez and Bagnaia the ‘perfect’ launch for starts, but the former was being quite discreet about his secret feature.
“There was another thing that caught our attention at the test,” said Bom. “The end of last year, and now, there is sort of a rumour going around that Marc and Pecco have something on their Ducati 25s that helps them at the start, something else as the front and the rear right high device, something else.
“I think I have an idea what it is. Something does go to another lever that the other bikes don’t have. So both Marc and Pecco had one bike with some extra s— on it and an extra lever on it.
“He reached for that lever and then he has the perfect start. But every time Marc comes for the practice start, he waits for his brother to arrive on the right side where everybody’s watching you [in the] pit lane, then he engages it and goes out.”
Ducati still have a clear advantage over their MotoGP rivals
Testing in Malaysia gave fans and experts the first idea of what the grid will look like in 2026, and it is clear that Ducati are set to maintain their advantage.
Jorge Lorenzo says Ducati have a ‘significant’ advantage with their cornering stability. What’s more is that all the riders feel more comfortable on the GP26, unlike the GP25, which gave them and the garage a massive headache.
Predict the order of the Ducati riders in the 2026 MotoGP standings
Bagnaia detested the GP25, but he looks to be back on the right track with the new Desmosedici. Bagnaia ‘confirmed’ his improved braking with the 2026 machine, which could put him in a position to challenge at the front again.
Marquez is still feeling the effects of his injury in Indonesia at the end of last year, but he still remains a frontrunner heading into the season opener in Thailand in March.
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