Alex Marquez made a strong start to the 2025 MotoGP season with two second-place finishes behind his brother Marc in the Thai Grand Prix. Riding for Gresini, Marquez led for more than half the race, while fellow satellite Ducati GP24 rider Franco Morbidelli (VR46) secured fourth place.
Ducati’s factory riders, Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, finished first and third, respectively, with their GP24 bikes closely resembling the satellite machines. Ducati has confirmed that the GP24 engine will carry over to the GP25, with chassis and aerodynamic updates introduced as the season progresses.
Despite some subtle differences, such as the swingarm, Marquez acknowledged that the performance gap between factory and satellite bikes is minimal. He explained that their GP24 version matches what the factory team used until round 11 of last season in Austria, making it a significant step up from last year’s satellite GP23 models.
The key advantage of the GP24 over its predecessor is its design compatibility with Michelin’s latest rear tyre construction, whereas the GP23 was built for the previous tyre model.
With Pramac’s switch to Yamaha, Ducati’s grid presence has reduced from eight to six bikes this season. VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio joins Bagnaia and Marc Marquez on factory GP25-spec machinery, while rookie Fermin Aldeguer rides the same GP24 satellite spec as Alex Marquez and Morbidelli.
Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna confirmed that further technical developments are planned, with new parts set to be tested at Jerez after the next four races.
