Ducati Factory rider Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia ended the 2021 season on a charge, winning four of the last six races and nabbing five pole positions in the process. To top things off, Ducati locked at the podium at the final race of the season in Valencia, Spain. With such stellar results, Ducati went into the off-season as the 2022 title favorites.
However, the 2022 pre-season introduced new challenges to the Bologna squad. Following MotoGP’s easing of engine development restrictions enacted during COVID-19, Ducati wedged a new V4 into its Desmosedici GP22 race machine. The team presented both Bagnaia and teammate Jack Miller with three engine configurations, including the GP21 mill, an evolved variant of the GP21, and the GP22 rendition.
