Ducati defends decision to field only three factory bikes in MotoGP next year

Ducati has defended the decision to reduce its involvement to just three factory bikes in the 2025 MotoGP season, saying it won’t negatively impact its performance.

Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna said that cutting down the supply of official bikes from four to three next year was the “best compromise” for the Italian manufacturer as it prepares for Pramac’s exit from its satellite fold.

The Borgo Panigale marque currently has double the representation of any manufacturer on the grid, as it runs eight bikes across the factory, Pramac, VR46 and Gresini teams – four of which are built to the latest GP24 specification.

But with Pramac ending a two-decade long relationship to join forces with Yamaha in 2025, it will be down to a total of six machines – and only three of those will carry the latest equipment. VR46 will inherit only one factory bike as part of the shake-up, as opposed to two that Pramac currently competes with as part of its agreement.

“At the end, we reduced the total number of bikes because we pass from eight to six bikes, and the best compromise for us is to have three and three: three factory bikes and three last year’s bikes,” Dall’Igna told MotoGP’s official website.

“This is also important for us because the reason why we have satellite teams is to grow up riders.

“At the end of the day, a new rider and a newcomer doesn’t need official bikes, because an official bike means more pressure, more load and so on. Sometimes it is better to start with previous year bikes.”

The change in approach from Ducati leaves it at a numerical disadvantage to its four manufacturer rivals, all of which will provide latest-spec bikes to their entire line-ups.

In fact, both KTM and Yamaha are strengthening their ties with their respective partner outfits next year and will treat Tech3 and Pramac as second factory teams.

However, Dall’Igna doesn’t think having one fewer official bike in 2025 will be a disadvantage for Ducati, as he remains convinced that the Italian marque will be able to deliver improvements with whatever it has at its disposal.

“We would like to win and we have to do our best to try to keep the potential of the bike,” he said. “But I don’t think having four official bikes is so important for the performance of the official riders.

“Even with last year’s bike we can develop and…