Bagnaia And Bastianini Both Aiming For Title

Ducati, the reigning MotoGP world champion, has revealed its livery for the upcoming 2024 season, maintaining a familiar look as Francesco Bagnaia gears up for a second title defence. The Italian manufacturer dominated the 2023 season with a record 17 grand prix victories, securing both the constructors’ title and Bagnaia’s back-to-back riders’ title.

The launch event in Italy showcased a livery similar to the previous year, distinguished by red number plates. The factory Ducati team’s lineup remains unchanged, featuring Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini for the 2024 season.

Bastianini, who faced injury challenges in his debut season with the works Ducati team, retained his seat despite uncertainties. A clause in Jorge Martin’s contract could have replaced Bastianini if he won the championship. However, Bastianini managed a Grand Prix victory in 2023, contributing to Ducati’s impressive season.

Ducati underwent internal changes, with Paolo Ciabatti moving to lead the off-road program, and Mauro Grassilli taking over as the sporting director of Ducati Corse in MotoGP.

A notable revelation came from Gigi Dall’Igna, mentioning that the 2024 bike would feature “fairings extremely different” from previous models, hinting at a potential escalation in aerodynamics innovation.

Despite the lack of major changes in the presented bike, Ducati introduced a new design element—a fluorescent red graphic—to signify unity across its factory projects, including the Aruba.it World Superbike machine and the new Desmo 450 MX off-road racer.

Ducati faces new restrictions in 2024 due to concession rules, limiting wildcard entries, test tires, testing locations, engines per rider, and engine development. The team accepted these restrictions to support struggling Japanese manufacturers.

The 2024 season is anticipated to bring increased competition, with rivals making efforts to lure top engineering talent from Ducati. The team, while acknowledging the impact of personnel losses, remains focused on maintaining its performance edge.

As the season kicks off, attention is already turning toward 2025, with speculation about the team’s lineup and contract negotiations. Bagnaia’s contract extension seems likely, but the choice for his teammate remains uncertain, with several contenders from Ducati’s talent pool.