Francesco Bagnaia is the favorite this year too. © ANSA / FAZRY ISMAIL

A lot of explosiveness before the Moto GP opener

21 races, 22 riders, five manufacturers, one top favorite – these are the core data of the new MotoGP season, which starts this weekend with the Qatar Grand Prix.

March 07, 2024

From: det

Francesco Bagnaia is going for his third world title in a row, and two other personalities are also causing a stir: superstar Marc Marquez is trying out a Ducati for the first time this year. Moto2 world champion Pedro Acosta makes his debut in the premier class of the motorcycle world championship – he rides for the KTM team GasGas.

Last year, Bagnaia clearly left his mark on the World Cup. “Pecco” won seven out of 20 World Championship races and was the first MotoGP rider to successfully defend his title since Marquez in 2019. It was only announced at the beginning of the week that the 27-year-old had extended his works contract with Ducati until 2026. “I am so happy to be able to continue racing with the team of my dreams,” said Bagnaia, who is starting the season as a hunted man.

Bagnaia is chasing his third consecutive world title. © ANSA / RUNGROJ YONGRIT

With the Desmosedici GP24, Ducati could have made another big leap from the level of the previous season. The fact that Bagnaia smashed the course record during the test drives in Sepang and Lusail clearly speaks for this. “We are well prepared for the upcoming start of the season,” he said with a healthy dose of understatement. “Pecco has to feel that he is important to the team, that everything is aimed at him. That’s when he’s strongest,” explained former world champion Jorge Lorenzo.

How is Marc Marquez doing?

And yet it is not just Bagnaia who has hopes of winning the world title. The Ducati armada also includes, among others, his teammate Enea Bastianini, Marco Bezzecchi, the Spaniard Jorge Martin and the Frenchman Johann Zarco. They are joined by the Spanish Aprilia duo Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales as well as KTM main character Brad Binder from South Africa.

Marc Marquez is on the road with a new motorcycle. © AFP / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA

The Marquez brothers Marc and Alex will both pilot a Ducati Desmosedici GP23 for the Gresini Racing team and are dangerous outsiders. “I immediately felt more comfortable with the motorcycle. “I managed to use my body better,” said Marc Marquez, who has often been involved in falls recently.

The super talent in focus

KTM and Aprilia in particular want to break Ducati's dominance, with the Austrian manufacturer taking another evolutionary leap. “We have made steps in all areas in which we wanted to improve,” reported KTM Motorsport Director Pit Beirer. The “brutal reality in MotoGP” is that the competitors have also improved. “What is happening technically and is being further developed is simply insane.”

In addition to Binder, who achieved five podium places in 2023, the Australian Jack Miller continues to drive for the A-Team. Augusto Fernandez and the super talent of the scene are active at GasGas Tech3: the Spaniard Pedro Acosta (19) is considered the world champion of the future. “He basically stayed in the top ten on all six days of testing where everyone was together. “That’s a brutally strong performance,” said Beirer about the son of a fisherman.