Davide Tardozzi denies Ducati error in Marc Marquez’s Thai GP tyre pressure
Factory Ducati boss Davide Tardozzi refutes claims that a miscalculation caused Marc Marquez’s front tyre pressure issue in the MotoGP Thai Grand Prix.
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| Davide Tardozzi of Italy and Ducati Team observes the action during the MotoGP test at Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo, Spain, on November 19, 2024. Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images |
By Randy Ahmad and Adila Ghina
Factory Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi has rejected suggestions that a mistake in setting Marc Marquez’s front tyre pressure led to his performance drop in the MotoGP Thai Grand Prix. Marquez, who had been leading the race, lost pace as he attempted to raise his tyre pressure to comply with MotoGP regulations, ultimately finishing second.
The theory that Marquez’s tyre issue was caused by a Ducati Lenovo Team miscalculation was put forward by TNT Sports MotoGP analyst Michael Laverty. The former MotoGP rider and British Superbike race winner speculated that Marquez’s team may have adjusted the front tyre pressure based on a drop in ambient temperature before the race but ended up setting it too low.
Tardozzi, however, dismissed this claim, emphasizing that no conclusions should be drawn without analyzing the data from Marquez’s bike.
“Honestly, we have to download the data and see what happened,” Tardozzi told TNT Sports after the race. “We suspected that Marc Marquez would be in front, but we don’t know exactly the numbers.”
Tardozzi defends Ducati’s tyre calculations
Tardozzi defended the Ducati engineering team, insisting that they always take environmental factors into account when setting tyre pressures.
“I think that our engineers are always calculating very well the numbers of the temperature,” he said. “But in the end, we have to see the data, because speaking without knowing what happened is not good.”
Marquez’s unexpected drop in pace, which allowed Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez to overtake him, raised concerns within the factory Ducati garage. Tardozzi admitted that the sudden change in performance initially made him nervous.
“He slowed down in a strange way because he could slow down in a different way,” he said. “But my heart was [at 200 bpm]. Immediately, when in turn five he was behind Alex in a normal way, I understood what was happening.”
Marquez’s strategy highlights his racing intelligence
Despite the setback, Tardozzi believes that the race ultimately proved Marc Marquez’s tactical intelligence and superior racecraft. The eight-time world champion demonstrated his ability to manage difficult situations and still fight for victory.
“In the end, he’s a clever guy,” Tardozzi said. “He stayed behind Alex [Marquez] and didn’t push like he did in lap 23, when he made a huge gap in one split—half a second in one split.”
“That means that Marc [Marquez] was really able to pull away since the beginning.”
While Marquez missed out on victory, his performance in Thailand reinforced his status as a serious contender in the 2025 MotoGP season. With Ducati now reviewing the data, the team will look to ensure that tyre pressure concerns do not impact future races.
More from MotoGP coverage
- Marco Bezzecchi admits he is paying the price for a lack of time attack runs in MotoGP testing as he adapts to Aprilia’s riding demands.
- Jack Miller fights through fairing trouble to finish as top M1 rider in Buriram.
- Marc Marquez delivers an emphatic victory at the Thailand Grand Prix, leading a Marquez brothers one-two finish in his first race with Ducati.
