On a recent official MotoGP test at Jerez, Marc Marquez, the prominent Ducati factory racer, showcased the potential of the latest updates from Ducati by clocking the fastest lap times. His impressive performance included a best time of 1m35.876s, which he achieved during the afternoon session, surpassing the best lap of the day set by KTM’s Maverick Vinales by over three tenths of a second. This performance was particularly significant for Marquez, especially following his crash during the Spanish Grand Prix held at the same track the day before.
The test day presented a crucial opportunity for Ducati to assess new developments, as strict testing regulations had limited their ability to try out modifications since the season commenced. Despite similar temperatures to the previous day, the windy conditions and enhanced grip on the circuit made it challenging to draw accurate comparisons of lap times. Nevertheless, Marquez’s lap time was slightly slower than the best qualifying lap set by Fabio Quartararo, who recorded a time of 1m35.610s on Saturday. Furthermore, Marquez was just a couple of tenths shy of his own best qualifying performance.
Marquez’s teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, did not appear to have a strong connection with the new components, as he finished the morning session with the 15th fastest time and dropped to 17th in the afternoon. Despite logging 64 laps throughout the day, Bagnaia continued to search for the elusive “feeling” with the GP25 bike, contrasting with Marquez’s more productive outing, where he completed 79 laps.
Meanwhile, Alex Marquez, who recently secured victory at the Spanish GP, had a more laid-back test session. With no significant updates to assess on his GP24 bike, he completed his work early, ending up with the seventh-fastest time in the morning and tenth in the afternoon.
In contrast to Alex Marquez’s Gresini Racing team, Ducati’s other satellite team, VR46, was testing several new innovations. Fabio di Giannantonio, who races the sole GP25 aside from those of Marquez and Bagnaia, recorded a respectable fifth-fastest time in the morning despite only completing 48 laps. Unfortunately, his teammate Franco Morbidelli was unable to participate in the test due to injuries sustained from crashes during the previous weekend’s races. Diagnosed with a concussion after a high-speed accident, Morbidelli was released from testing duties and will need medical clearance before returning to action at the upcoming Le Mans round.
Yamaha made notable strides during the test, building on the momentum from Quartararo’s strong performance that weekend when he finished second in the Spanish GP. The Iwata factory introduced an upgraded version of its inline-four engine for this test, and Quartararo expressed satisfaction with its capabilities. He noted that the new engine outperformed the previous version in terms of power. “The new engine is an improvement over the old one, with more power. I’m very happy,” Quartararo commented, adding that the four days of racing and testing were the best he had experienced in the last three years.
Yamaha’s test strategy saw them wrap up early, with both Quartararo and his teammate Alex Rins concluding their work with two and a half hours remaining in the session. At that point, Quartararo had set the fastest time in the afternoon, although he ultimately finished third overall for the day after Marquez and Vinales posted faster laps later on.
KTM’s development rider Dani Pedrosa joined the factory’s regular lineup for the test, while fellow factory racer Pedro Acosta’s day was impacted by a crash at Peluqui during the early stages of the session.
Aprilia, on the other hand, focused on evaluating their latest rear wing package, which had been seen on Marco Bezzecchi’s bike during the weekend. Bezzecchi also experimented with a new swing arm as part of his testing agenda. Trackhouse Aprilia rider Ai Ogura, who prioritized improving his riding, also took the opportunity to test the new rear aerodynamic components.
Regular Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori, who has been substituting for the injured Jorge Martin in various races this season, dedicated his efforts to enhancing the braking performance and stability of the bike. Aprilia achieved impressive mileage during the test, with Bezzecchi recording the most laps in the morning session at 48, closely followed by Ogura with 46. In the afternoon, Bezzecchi stood out as the only rider to complete over 50 laps, finishing the day strongly.
Honda utilized the test to explore a variety of new components, prominently featuring an updated swing arm that caught the eye. They also had test rider Takaaki Nakagami join their regular squad for the session. However, Aleix Espargaro, who participated as a wildcard rider over the weekend, did not take part in the testing activities.
LCR Honda rookie Somkiat Chantra faced challenges throughout the day, struggling to regain his footing after a difficult start to the season. He missed the morning session due to issues related to arm pump, and his troubles continued into the afternoon when he suffered a fall.
As the MotoGP season continues to unfold, the results from the Jerez test are expected to inform teams’ strategies and preparations for the upcoming races. Each team’s ability to adapt to new components and refine their bikes will play a crucial role in determining their performance on the track. The ongoing developments, especially from Ducati and Yamaha, signal a competitive season ahead as teams work to optimize their setups and capitalize on any advantages gained from testing sessions like the one held at Jerez.
