As if no time had passed since the end of the 2023 season in Cheste, in November, the MotoGP duel continues in 2024 between Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martín. After the first three days of pre-season testing at Sepang, the Italian and the Spaniard were the fastest of the 23 drivers on track, with the champion showing muscle in his new Desmosedici.
Marc Márquez, the multiple champion who is making his debut with Ducati, took a step forward by improving his pace and approaching the top 5 with the sixth best time. The Catalan will be on the lookout to get into the fight.
Truly, Bagnaia scared in his last test: he squeezed his new Desmosedici GP24 to break the time and set a new Malaysian track record in 1m56s682, that is, almost a second less than the pole record that he himself had in the GP of Malaysia 2023 (1m57s491). A wild one.
Bagnaia's progression has been astronomical: he started the first day in 16th place after a crash, rose to 5th place yesterday in the second session, and in the third and final session he took the best time.
“I feel really comfortable with my bike. The weather on my first time attack attempt was fantastic, but we are in a test and the conditions today were perfect. On the other hand, I am not entirely satisfied with the Sprint race simulation that we tried in the morning: I had a small problem that made me slower. In any case we have shown that we know the potential of this motorcycle. We have improved a lot in three days," commented the Italian.
The driver who has come closest to him is Jorge Martín, who has always been consistently at the top: first at the start of the tests, second yesterday and second at the close, just 172 thousandths behind Bagnaia. The Madrid native, also with the 2024 motorcycle specification, was 23 thousandths ahead of the other official Ducati rider, Enea Bastianini (the fastest on Wednesday).
The dominance of the Desmosedici is once again insulting in 2024, with six Borgo Panigales motorcycles in the top eight positions. A hegemony only 'tainted' by the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaró (5th, 4 tenths behind Pecco), and the KTM of Brad Binder (7th, 6 tenths behind the first).
The first Japanese bike was Joan Mir's Honda, 10th, almost 7 tenths behind Bagnaia, a little closer than in 2023, but still very far away to aspire to podiums or victories against the Ducati fleet.
Quartararo's Yamaha finished in the 11th best time and Álex Rins's in 16th, 8 tenths and 1.1 seconds away respectively.
The one who attracts the most attention in the preseason tests is Marc Márquez with his new motorcycle, a 2023 Ducati, with which he is beginning to understand himself. The Cervera rider is one of those who has done the most dark work in Sepang, putting the Italian bike to his liking and adapting to the specifics. His progression has been good: from 14th (984 thousandths behind the first) on Wednesday, to 6th (588 thousandths away) this Thursday, also below the circuit's pole record.
Behind the Bagnaia-Martín-Bastianini trio with the 2024 Ducati, the fastest rider with the best pace was Àlex Márquez, with the 2023 Ducati of the Gresini team, with which he finished fourth. The little one of the Cervera brothers has already quietly placed itself among the best, with a satellite motorcycle, ahead of the official ones from the rest of the manufacturers.
