There will be a lot of Marquez up there in 2025
The Sepang test confirms that the Ducati GP24, ridden by Alex, is better than the rest and that only Marc and Bagnaia's GP25 can beat it
Márquez, Márquez and more Márquez . The 2025 MotoGP World Championship is shaping up to be a celebration for the Cervera family of champions. Not just for Marc, who could have been predictable by getting his hands on the best possible Ducati, in theory, the GP25, from the same year, but also for Álex, who has dominated two of the three tests and who is more confident than ever since he arrived in the premier class in 2020.
The GP24 continues to dominate
The first conclusion from the Sepang test is that there is a bike that sets the pace when it needs to: the Ducati GP24, the one that was champion with Jorge Martín and runner-up with Pecco Bagnaia in 2024. Not even with the innovations introduced by the other factories can it be beaten. Álex Márquez signed the best lap, a tenth and a half off the record, and had the best pace in Malaysia. It is indeed one of his favorite tracks, with many long corners, but he is amazed by his new machine. ” The bike is really good, I am very satisfied, we have been able to adjust everything. It is only a test, but it is something to be happy about,” he said radiantly.
Alex, sweet
Alex has already finished 2024 on a very good note after struggling at the start with his adaptation to the GP23, which he never really liked. ” He’s enjoying himself, but there’s no need to put pressure on him. That’s for the factory team,” Marc said, pointing… at himself. The others who drive that Desmosedici are equally fascinated. This is the case of Franky Morbidelli, who seems reborn. “We’ve finished in the best way. I’m very happy, we’ll give you a lot of satisfaction this year,” he sent as a message to the VR46 fans. Or the rookie Fermín Aldeguer, already consolidated in high positions. “Even the other Ducati riders have congratulated me on my adaptation. My feelings are even better than my times and I still have a lot of things to discover,” he said.
The blessed doubts with the GP25
There is only one bike that is likely to offer better performance: the GP25, the new model from Borgo Panigale. It improves certain aspects of the previous one, but the question remains about the engine. ” We will have doubts about the engine until the last day, we have to make the decision very carefully. We have not yet managed to close the gap in braking with the GP24. We have a bike that works perfectly and another that has an engine that seems to have enormous potential, about which we still have to understand many things,” explained Bagnaia.
Marc has agreed with the Turin native in almost the same words in his comments to the engineers every day, (“That never happened to me with my teammate,” admitted Pecco), and had to postpone the choice. ” Ducati has a nice problem because the base is already so fine-tuned that you have to be very sure. That’s why we test and test. With the GP24 you can fight for the title, one hundred percent,” he asserted.
Yamaha, second brand?
Of the others, the table says one thing for sure: Fabio Quartararo has been in the top three for all three days. However, Yamaha already had a lot of data from the test and that’s why the Frenchman is going very carefully. However, El Diablo gave some conclusive data to encourage him. “From 2019 to 2024 we improved by six-tenths; from 2024 to 2025, by eight-tenths. The key will be Thailand because there is a third of the grip there compared to Sepang,” he proclaimed, knowing that the poor rear traction has hampered them in recent years. But there is optimism with the M1 and its improvement. “The base is excellent,” confirms Álex Rins. So much so that Bagnaia dares to say that they will be the second factory in 2025.
Aprilia, Jorge Martin’s orphan
Aprilia‘s plans fell apart early on the first day, with crashes and injuries to Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez. Both have already undergone surgery and are praying in Noale that they will be able to go to Buriram. The RS-GP25 needs a lot of development and with only Bezzecchi, test rider Savadori and rookie Ai Ogura it is not enough. “I have not been able to push the bike to the limit that I would have liked and I often don’t ride the bike as well as I would have liked. If the Aprilia didn’t have the potential I wouldn’t have done 1:57,” conceded ‘Bez’.
KTM, in the hands of Acosta
KTM is being true to itself. In other years it learned to hold its cards close to the vest until the very end. It seems that they are not pushing hard or showing everything. “We are better than our times say,” warned Pedro Acosta, the most solid rider to make it into the ‘top 10’. They are involved in aerodynamics, playing with electronics, trying to balance the bike… many things to which is added the fact that Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini are in full adaptation as newcomers. For now, they are an unknown.
Honda’s green shoots
Honda is not hiding its happiness at the progress it has made. They know that the road ahead is long, but it seems that there is now light at the end of the tunnel. Joan Mir and Johann Zarco have been able to ‘shine’ with some good laps. In aerodynamics, the hand of Romano Albesiano is beginning to be noticed, with ideas brought from Aprilia. “We have found a good base to start with, the general performance is good; we can develop the bike little by little, we are there,” said the Italian engineer.