Ducati MotoGP rider Pecco Bagnaia says his team has found extra top speed with its 2023 engine – at no expense to the handling characteristics.
Reigning champion Bagnaia has enjoyed a fruitful pre-season test at Sepang so far, and has been satisfied enough with the GP23 engine introduced by Ducati to pivot to it completely on Saturday rather than keep comparing it to previous versions.
“I’m confident that the potential is very, very high,” he said of the new package, having finished fifth on what was a rain-disrupted day.
Bagnaia also clocked the joint-highest speed trap figure of the day with fellow Ducati GP23 runner Jorge Martin – who has himself been raving about the new engine – at 336.4km/h (209mph).
“Now I’ll say something that everybody will have fun [with] because we grew the top speed today, with the new engine,” said Bagnaia when asked what had been improved.
“It’s something that we don’t need, but it’s always helpful. And we didn’t do any damage in terms of riding, handling, because the bike from last year was already on a really great level.
“And now also we have to reach the same level, or even better, in the acceleration. Today we did a good step [in that, too].”
Ducati’s top speed should no longer be the trump card it was over someone like Fabio Quartararo, Bagnaia’s main rival in 2022, given Yamaha’s own considerable gains on that front.
But the suggestion the Desmosedici has become quicker in a straight line at little to no cost to the rest of the package is still an ominous one.
The overall performance level, Bagnaia suggested, was not yet quite a match for the refined package he had last season – but there was a conviction in his words that he’d already get there as soon as Sunday’s final Sepang session.
The development of a new package was a headache for Bagnaia last pre-season, as it suddenly emerged he wasn’t comfortable with the latest spec of the GP22 – leading to a change of specification and a muted start to the season that nearly put him out of the title race.
But both Bagnaia and Ducati figures emphasised a need to develop more incrementally and avoid that kind of surprise for 2023, and according to Bagnaia that goal is being met so far.
“Fingers crossed. Because last year, in Jerez, last test of the 2021 season, it looked like the new bike was incredible. Then we moved here and the feeling wasn’t the best.
“For sure we’ve learned from our mistakes.
“This year from the first exit with the new bike I felt great. I feel that we are very close [in performance] to the 2022 spec. So, considering that the 2022 spec had four years of developing [it was a bigger step due to the COVID development freeze], being already so close is a good thing. We can be happy about that.”
It has not been an equally rosy start for new team-mate Enea Bastianini, who like Bagnaia acknowledged a top speed boost – but said he was lacking confidence with the rear of the GP23.
“The strongest points of this bike are different. I have to change a bit my style,” said Bastianini who won four races on a refined year-old GP21 with previous team Gresini last year.
“It’s difficult to explain but I can’t enter [corners] like my style – very, very fast inside. I have to arrive a little bit more slow.
“And also the maximum [lean] angle for me is not correct – but we have resolved the problem with the wet conditions. I think that can help me tomorrow with the dry, if it’s dry.”
2022 weakness potentially addressed
The extensive opportunity for wet-weather running afforded to riders on Saturday was one both Bagnaia and Bastianini made use of, and both were impressed with how the GP23 behaved in rainy conditions.
For Bagnaia in particular it was a boon because he’d found his wet-weather performance seriously lacking at points in 2022, even though it was ultimately a crucial ride to third place at a wet Buriram that allowed him to conclusively take over as championship favourite from main rival Quartararo.
“On wet we did a really good step in front compared to last year,” said Bagnaia about the GP23.
“Because last year sincerely every time I was seeing that it was raining or was wet, it was a nightmare. Because with the old bike I was struggling a lot.
“But with this one, from the first exit, it was already a really good level. My feeling on it was really good, back at 2021 [level].”
