Postitive news for Ducati ahead of Le Mans: "We'll have something more"

Following Alex Marquez's victory in Jerez, the Monday test offered teams the chance to experiment with new parts and test new aero setups for the current crop of bikes. While the younger Marquez once again topped the timing charts in the morning session, it was Aprilia who once again showed their advantage in the afternoon as Ai Ogura led the way.

For Ducati, the test represented a crucial step towards catching Aprilia, and team bozz Davide Tardozzi was certainly optimistic about future upgrades:

"From this race [France], and especially the next one [Catalonia], we'll have something more," said Tardozzi, "They'll allow us to compete more consistently with Aprilia."

One area where Aprilia seem to have jumped the field in particular is their aero package. A number of new innovations are seemingly paying off, leaving other manufacturers scrambling to catch up. Due to the current concession regulations, Ducati will only be able to implement one aero upgrade this season, meaning it is crucial that they deploy it at the right time.

"In this current MotoGP world championship, having the right aerodynamic load is crucial." Tardozzi concluded.

While the sport was becoming nicknamed "The Ducati Cup" in recent years due to the dominance of the Italian manufacturers, it does seem that Ducati have been hit particularly hard by the concessions and restrictions on testing and upgrades. Once again, it sets a worrying precedent for the sport by punishing the most successful teams, riders and engineers with an 'egalitarian' system.