Francesco Bagnaia and Michele Pirro consider Ducati’s rivals made efficient use of MotoGP’s concession system to shut the hole over the course of the 2025 season.
Though Ducati swept all three world championships in 2025, helped by Marc Marquez’s arrival within the manufacturing facility workforce, its dominance was challenged extra regularly than in earlier years.
After shedding only one grand prix in 2024, Ducati was crushed on 5 events final season, with Aprilia taking 4 victories and Honda capitalising on a rain-affected French Grand Prix.
The Bologna marque’s streak of podium finishes in dash races additionally got here to an finish on the Australian GP, a weekend wherein it failed to position even a single bike on the entrance row of the grid.
Ducati stays the one producer in Group A underneath MotoGP’s concession system, a standing that stops wildcard entries and considerably restricts non-public testing alternatives with take a look at riders.
Aprilia and KTM competed in Group C all through 2025, whereas Yamaha and Honda benefited from the best freedom underneath Group D, together with just about limitless testing.
Requested how the concession system impacted Ducati’s 2025 marketing campaign and his personal struggles on the GP25, Bagnaia mentioned: “It is tough to reply, as a result of I believe our bike is the most effective one.
“I struggled this season, it is true. Within the final [few] seasons, I used to be at all times tremendous aggressive and I wasn’t making many errors. This season Marc was there, with much less errors, and he gained with 5 races to go.
“I believe our bike continues to be a lot stronger than all the opposite bikes. So, it is true that having the take a look at, having some concessions extra, may very well be a chance to enhance quicker. In my case, possibly having extra days of exams might have been higher.
“However the guidelines are there to make the championship extra equalised and I believe Aprilia, Yamaha, Honda and KTM have used their benefit nicely with exams and wildcards to enhance their conditions.
“However Ducati continues to be the most effective one, and we use what we have now nicely.”
Michele Pirro, Ducati Group
Photograph by: Gold and Goose Images / LAT Photos / by way of Getty Photos
Ducati’s restrictions on testing and wildcard entries additionally restricted the scope of take a look at rider Pirro’s work on the GP25 – a motorcycle that solely Marquez was capable of tame in 2025, with Bagnaia struggling for probably the most half and Fabio di Giannantonio delivering combined outcomes on the newest Desmosedici GP.
Echoing Bagnaia’s view that the concessions labored as supposed, Pirro pressured that the rules had enabled rival producers to problem Ducati extra frequently on the sharp finish of the sector.
“Many journalists have paid little consideration to the truth that different producers nonetheless have concessions, whereas Ducati is restricted by way of growth, testing and tyres,” he mentioned.
“That is regular; it was completed to carry the producers nearer collectively. It is not that the extent has risen since final 12 months, however now there are extra aggressive bikes that may struggle for the highest positions, and what you probably did final 12 months will not be sufficient, and it’s a must to do extra. That was the aim of the regulation.
“As for Aprilia, we have now seen the competitiveness of [Marco] Bezzecchi and [Raul] Fernandez in current races, so I believe they’ve completed an excellent job.”
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