‘I think it’s a shame that the comparison between GP23 and GP24 continues; what matters are your qualities’ – Michele Pirro

Marc Márquez finished second in the Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix, losing an intense direct duel with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati). The Gresini rider, unlike the Italian, has last year’s version of the Desmosedici GP.

Some believe this difference can be significant when it comes to winning battles. However, Ducati test rider Michele Pirro told GPOne.com that the differences are not radical:

– Personally, I think it’s a shame that the comparison between these two bikes continues. While it is true that the GP24 is an improvement over the GP23, should we develop bikes that are worse than those from other manufacturers? One thing I would like to emphasize though: there is not half a second between the two bikes, as some might think.

The Italian emphasized that it is the rider who makes the difference, especially in the final phase of the race: ‘Above all, in those last five laps of the GP in Jerez it is the same whether you have the GP23 or the GP24. When you push so hard, it’s about the skill of the rider and especially about the qualities you have. Period, there’s nothing more to add‘.

To emphasize once again that there are no braking differences with an older version of the bicycle, Pirro gave a concrete example from last year: ‘It almost seems like the GP23 is an uncompetitive, underrated bike, and that’s not the case. In that sense, I would like to point out one thing: last year (Fabio) Di Giannantonio had the GP22 all season without a single update, but he worked hard and reached the end of the season, fighting for podiums and victories‘.