MM93 suits up as Ducati factory rider for the first time
Two days after the 2024 MotoGP World Championship concluded, the Ducati Lenovo Team was back on track at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain for the first official test in preparation for the 2025 season.
2024 runner-up, Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia, riding a Desmosedici GP in a special white livery, hit the track before lunchtime and completed a total of 58 laps during the remaining six hours of the test. With a fastest lap time of 1:38.398, Bagnaia ended the day in third place.
Pecco Bagnaia
The test also marked Marc Márquez’s first appearance as an official Ducati rider. After finishing the 2024 season in third place with three wins and ten podiums with the Desmosedici GP of the Gresini Racing MotoGP team, the 8-time World Champion officially began his new adventure with the Ducati factory squad.
Márquez, who will join Bagnaia next season, started the day after an initial “shakedown” by test rider Michele Pirro. The Spaniard then focused on testing new components and different setup configurations on his “Todo al Rojo” (all red) Desmosedici GP. With 49 laps and a best time of 1:39.454, Márquez wrapped up the day in fourth place.
Marc Marquez
“It was good to get back to work as a factory rider. In factory teams, testing is always a little different—you have to try a lot of things and be as precise as possible with your feedback…The good thing is that both my feedback and Pecco’s were very similar, which will help simplify the engineers’ work at home over the winter. Overall, the balance is positive, and I’m happy,” said Marquez.
The Ducati Lenovo Team riders will be back on track for the next preseason test on February 5 to 7, 2025, at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
