Former 125cc rider and VR46 team manager Pablo Nieto believes the Ducati GP24's MotoGP dominance this year is explained by it being “simpler” and “smoother” to ride than its predecessor.
Ducati’s latest-specification bike has been the class of the field this year, winning 10 of the 11 rounds so far and locking the podium spots in four of the last five rounds.
Only Gresini’s Marc Marquez has been able to put up some sort of a challenge on last year’s GP23 bike, but he hasn’t stepped on the rostrum since July's German Grand Prix.
This is in stark contrast to the 2023 season, when the year-old GP22 was reasonably competitive against the newest-spec bike from Ducati, with VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi challenging for the title after winning three grands prix.
Opinion has been split on what makes Ducati’s new bike stand out from last year’s GP23, itself a title-winning bike in the hands of factory rider Francesco Bagnaia.
The double world champion and his championship rival Jorge Martin maintain that the two bikes are much more similar than what the results may suggest, with Bagnaia even claiming that GP23 has received more updates this year than his own bike.
However, most paddock insiders dispute that opinion and insist GP24’s ability to extract more performance out of Michelin’s new rear tyre has given it an edge on the competition.
VR46 team manager Nieto has now joined the debate about the two Ducati bikes, supporting those who say GP24 is superior to its opposition. However, rather than this being down to any hardware improvements, he believes that the newest Desmosedici is faster simply because it is much easier to ride on track - and hence push to the limit.
Asked if there is a big difference between GP24 and GP23, he told Spanish broadcaster Dazn: “A little bit, yes, it's true that it goes in cycles.
“Last year, the difference between one bike and the other [the GP23 and GP22] was not so big. This year they have taken that little step.
“More than the difference, I think it's the way the bike is ridden. The GP24 is a much simpler bike, much smoother.
“On the GP23, the peak power of the engine is much more aggressive. And that, whether you like it or not, makes the bike ride much worse.”
VR46 has to contend with two GP23s this year and has managed a single podium after the opening 11 rounds of the season, courtesy of Bezzecchi at Jerez in April.
His team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio has arguably been the more impressive and a series of consistent performances have secured him a contract directly with Ducati for 2025-26.
Di Giannantonio will be one of only three riders to have access to the GP25 next year, as VR46 steps up to becoming Ducati’s sole factory-supported team, while Bezzecchi moves on to the factory Aprilia team.
Nieto praised the Italian for the way he has turned around his fortunes in MotoGP, having feared he would be left without a seat in 2024 after Marc Marquez’s shock move to his former team Gresini over the winter.
“We've seen a thousand times that there are riders who don't have a place and suddenly they start to do well and get results,” Nieto said.
“Di Giannantonio is doing a spectacular job. He is almost always the second-best GP23 [behind Marquez], which I think is very important, knowing that Marc is always there.
“Between now and the end of the year I think we can even fight for a podium, which I think would be the main thing this year.”
