The MotoGP title duel between Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin is nearing its climax, with the Ducati stars on equal terms over the final four rounds
The MotoGP title battle between Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin is drawing to a close, and the final four rounds will be a level playing field for the Ducati stars.
In a 2023 rematch, reigning double world champion Bagnaia and Pramac’s Martin head into the final four rounds of the current campaign to battle it out for the crown.
Following last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, where Bagnaia claimed his fourth one-two of the season, the gap between the two has narrowed to 10 points, with Martin still in the lead.
Martin will leave Ducati at the end of the 2024 season to join the Aprilia factory team, having turned his back on his current employer when it made a U-turn on its decision to promote him to the factory team alongside Bagnaia for 2025.
It has since been seen as inconceivable that Ducati would allow their number one to join Martin at Aprilia and questions have been raised over the level of support the Spaniard would receive in the second half of the season.
Ducati has always maintained that it will provide equal support to Martin and Bagnaia, and new reports have confirmed this.
According to es.motorsport.com, Ducati has halted development of the GP24 for the remainder of the season, with the latest update coming at Silverstone in August in the form of aerodynamic tweaks.
Four riders are mathematically in contention for the championship heading into the final four rounds, and Ducati is guaranteed the title no matter what happens.
Reports that Ducati are ensuring parity of machines between Martin and Bagnaia come just weeks after Bagnaia first mentioned a new chassis he tested at Misano and was keen to race as soon as possible.
In Indonesia, Bagnaia called 2024 a “championship of mistakes” after Martin crashed while leading the sprint.
Bagnaia’s theory was that the 2024 Michelin rear tyre, with its excellent grip, is pushing the front tyre under braking more than last year and is causing the numerous errors we have seen from the top two in qualifying.
Asked how to fix this for 2025, Bagnaia said: “I will ask for what I tried at the [Misano] test.”
“It was very good. What we tried in the test helped a lot. Unfortunately I can’t use it right now, because it could be a good help, but they are not ready to give it to all GP24s.
“So I can’t use it. It’s a new chassis and I think it will help us all.”
In retrospect, this comment was the first sign that Ducati had, in fact, finished development of the GP24.
Ducati is believed to be contractually required to provide updates to all of its bikes, and with Martin (and the Pramac team as a whole) parting ways with the Italian marque next year, there’s little point in giving future rivals a chance to catch a glimpse of what’s shaping up to be a step forward for the Desmosedici.