An all-Ducati showdown is set for the final race of the MotoGP season at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya between Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.
Pecco is bidding for a third championship, while Martin is searching for a maiden crown that eluded him in 2023.
He crashed out of the season finale last year, and now he has the chance to avenge that defeat – and the odds are stacked in his favour.
A 24-point lead means that all he needs to do is finish higher than 15th to ensure that his first MotoGP crown goes home with him after Sunday’s race.
Luca Marini says Ducati are on ‘another planet’
Luca Marini is a rider who has struggled to come to terms with his Honda bike in 2024 and sits just 22nd in the championship.
Speaking in an interview with Autosport, he mentioned how fast his Ducati rivals are, and how he believes that Honda can the the second-best in the series soon.
“When they come we are just struggling with everything and they overtake you on the straight ‘like this’, no problem. They are on another planet at the moment.
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“We have to try to improve our level but also find a way to take out something from them because they are completely destroying the championship so we have to invent something. We will try,” Marini continued.
“Because now Yamaha has made a good step. Here they have made a fantastic weekend. It is important that we have a rush to come back and improve our performance as soon as possible because it is possible now.
“The other manufacturers are struggling and if we are smart and clever, more clever than the others, we can be the second power in the championship – if we are making the correct moves next year.”
Why the Ducati domination won’t end any time soon
Ducati’s MotoGP advantage is simply too big for any of its competition to overcome in a short period.
They have the best riders on the grid, and the best bike on the grid by far, and thankfully the championship is still exciting through it all.
Winning every year is only making their time more comfortable in the future, and they’re a very well-oiled operation by now.
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After the final race of the season, the odds are that they will have another champion in their ranks with Jorge Martin.
It says a lot that Honda and their riders are setting their sites on second place, rather than the top step – a sad realisation for Ducati’s rivals.