English
Italiano
Bagnaia's problem is not whether the GP25 is good enough, but whether it is better than the GP24. Ducati had set the bar so high that overcoming it is no easy feat. Undoubtedly the new Desmosedici was born well, however, they have to be sure not to make any missteps also because - with the engine freeze scheduled for 2026 - this bike will have to last practically two years.
"We did a lot of work, like yesterday," Pecco said, commenting on his day, "But today, having saved the tires on the first day, we were able to manage everything better. The bike that will come out of this test will be the same for two years, so it is crucial to make thoughtful choices considering that we are starting from a fantastic base that is the GP24."
You have to put pros and cons on the table.
"What came out is that the new bike is working very well, I really like it in terms of acceleration, engine delivery, it seems to be really positive - was his balance - We also got a little bit closer in braking, but there is still something missing compared to the 2024. That's a point where we have to figure out how much margin there is, in my opinion there is."
Among the plus signs is that the Bagnaia-Marquez pair is aligned on developments.
"It's crucial that Marc and I have more or less the same sensations, it's also good for the engineers who need similar feedback, otherwise you might take a wrong direction," Bagnaia stressed. "We also both tried the new aerodynamics and I went pretty strong with it. It was a positive day, but tomorrow's will be crucial because that will be the time when we will draw certain conclusions to create the base on which to focus in Thailand."
Braking, as he pointed out yesterday, is the key issue.
"The engine is different and the electronic settings, the engine brake settings, are still to be understood. Indeed to be discovered, because we are coming from a powertrain that worked very well - was his explanation - This engine was born very well compared to all the others I had tried in Ducati, especially at the level of power delivery, I had never had one so smooth. We are still working on braking and corner entry, though."
Right now Ducati needs to tread lightly.
"We have to be calm in our decisions, not to be in a hurry - he continued - We have to weigh each choice well. At the moment, as far as the engine is concerned, I would say it is still 50-50. The new engine can be handled well with the throttle under acceleration, but the GP24 allowed incredible things under braking. At the moment, what we gain in corner exit is less than what we lose in braking."
With no shortage of speed, Pecco finished 5th, despite a crash at the last corner in the morning when he was much faster.
"It was a pity because, even without doing a real time attack, a good lap was coming out - was his regret - Unfortunately, that incident caused a slowdown in the work, because I had two different bikes and I had to use the one I crashed with, so we took the opportunity to change a fairly important part and it took about 40 minutes. In the end it went well because the test then worked."
There will be time to make up for it tomorrow, how close can you get to the track record? "I don't know but, considering today's times, in my opinion at 1'56" we can get there - Bagnaia was confident - It will depend on the track conditions, there could be a lot of grip tomorrow morning."
His last comment was on the best time of brand mate and Academy rider Morbidelli: "Franco is doing a great job in these tests and it is also important for him being in a new team. To be in front on the second day is very positive."
