By Kate Adams
The 2024 engine that Ducati has been talking up through the preseason seems to be a big hit with the riders. The three factory Ducati riders who were at this test (Franco Morbidelli was out with injury) ended up taking the top three spots. This will certainly be a cause for doubling down on the efforts for all other manufacturers, all of whom have improved. However, Ducati finding something more when they were already so strong makes me worried that we will see another season of Ducati domination.
The factory Ducati riders were also seen sporting new fairings. Jorge Martín started the test preferring the old aerodynamic setup, as he understood it better. However, after Pecco Bagnaia demolished the lap record, setting an unofficial record of 1:56.682, Martín quickly followed (+0.172) on the new set up, and third place was taken by Enea Bastinini (+0.233). While I think we need to wait for a few more tracks to see if the beast really is back, this has left me hopeful that he can fight up the front of the field provided there are no injury woes this year.
Marc Marquez was hindered on day 1 with four technical issues severely limiting his track time. On day 2, he didn't set any flying laps, instead focusing on sprint simulations along with his brother, Alex Marquez. I think we won't start to see his potential until the season really starts; however, it is going to take a long time to unlearn the 11 years of riding a Honda. That being said, he did finish a respectable P6 after the third day of testing, with his brother Alex Marquez the only other Ducati ahead of him in P4.
VR46, whose livery has grown significantly on me now that I have seen it on track, seemed to be steady through the weekend, at least on one side of the garage. Fabio Di Giannantonio set some sweltering sprint simulation times. This, along with him sitting in P8 after testing, will have him feeling quite comfortable coming into his new team. Unfortunately, things didn't seem to click so well on Marco Bezzecchi's side of the garage. Fingers crossed he finds his pace in Qatar, as I would love to see Marco fighting for the championship again.
Aprilia was the only other manufacturer in the top 5, with Aleix Espargaro taking that spot. Unfortunately, while Aleix looked strong on the new Aprilia, none of the other riders did. Maverick Vinales, usually a very strong test rider, was over 8 tenths off the top spot, and Miguel Oliveira ended the weekend 1.318 seconds off the pace. It should be noted that Aprilia spent the majority of day 1 and 2 testing their new aerodynamic setup, with riders going out together, no doubt to test how it affected the tire pressures, and Miguel Oliveira running an aerodynamic rake during testing. Misfortune fell the way of Raul Fernandez, who came off his bike in a highside on the very first lap of testing due to a dirty track. His Instagram states he's suffering from small fractures in his hip. Not an ideal start to the season having two riders ruled out of testing due to injury.
KTM had a test of mixed fortunes. Brad Binder had a very strong weekend at a track he has been vocal about disliking in the past. He put the Red Bull KTM in P7 in the timings. As impressive as this was, it was the rider 0.031 seconds off his pace that caught the attention of many. Rookie Pedro Acosta impressed on and off the track during the Sepang test. While testing is not a good indication of what the season will bring, other riders commented on how Pedro isn't riding like a rookie but a veteran of MotoGP. While it's highly unlikely we will see a rookie champion this year, I do think it's a strong possibility that we could see Pedro take a win in his rookie season.
The strong performances from Acosta and Binder will have both Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez working overtime on their form. Jack Miller was 1.169 seconds off the leading pace, but it's Augusto Fernandez who still seems to struggle over one lap the most. While we did see some impressive charges through the field last year from Augusto, having what could be a rookie sensation across the garage from you will be putting the pressure on.
The Yamaha garage did see aero upgrades, and they do have the speed, with Fabio Quartararo setting some impressive times. I'd argue that Yamaha, with the addition of Alex Rins, now has the strongest lineup on the current grid. However, the Yamaha is still lacking in one-lap pace. Given how important qualifying and that first lap are in this current era of MotoGP, this is still a worrying sign. I do have to note with Yamaha that they seem to have made some very big changes within the garage, with hirings coming from Ducati and KTM. The Japanese manufacturer is showing signs that they are trying to shake things up. I can only hope that this turns into more mechanical grip, and we can see their riders battling up the front of the grid.
Honda has made significant improvements, finding over a second in under 6 months is a remarkable achievement. The riders are keeping expectations in line with how the majority of people seem to be thinking. Last year's Honda was so far behind; it will take a long time to get to the front of the field again. With this year's concessions and Honda booking in testing at every single race weekend, we can see they are clearly fighting to bring the Honda back into contention to win world championships.
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