How MotoGP has changed in 4 months: let's compare the Qatar GPs

Less than four months passed between the 2023 edition of the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix and the 2024 edition. This is a peculiarity that clearly highlights the changes in performance that the pre-season brings with it. Although care must be taken when making comparisons between races held in different conditions, it is clear that the first round of the new MotoGP season, contested with bikes fresh from the factories, has already allowed some riders to make significant improvements.

The best performances of the weekend

Last November, during the 2023 GP, Luca Marini set the new Lusail record by taking pole position. Less than four months later, this record has already been broken, once again by a Ducati rider, Jorge Martin. The improvement in this short period of time was almost a second.

The Sprint had the same number of laps as last year and the same winner. The comparison is quite clear when talking about the total time taken to cover the distance of the short race: in those 11 laps, he was 11.3 seconds faster than in 2023.

The main race, however, was shortened by one lap after Raul Fernandez had a technical problem on the starting grid. Therefore, the overall race time is difficult to compare with that of November. However, if the race is virtually extended by one lap based on the time recorded by Pecco Bagnaia on the penultimate completed lap, it can be estimated that the overall time would have been reduced by approximately fifteen seconds if all 22 laps had been completed.

Performance by manufacturer

There is one thing that has not changed one iota in Ducati, and that is the position occupied: pole position, victory in the Sprint and victory in the main race. The jackpot is always present. As we saw, Ducati lowered its best time of the weekend by almost a second. On the other hand, in terms of top speed, it was 1.2 km/h slower, a drop not found among other manufacturers.

With an improvement of 1.8 in its best time of the weekend and a 4.8 km/h improvement in its top speed, the KTM was the one that made the biggest step forward at the end of the first Grand Prix of the season In fact, it was the only brand to reach the 360 ​​km/h threshold, and that's no mean feat: in Lusail, this barrier had only been broken once in a Grand Prix, with 362.4 km/h recorded by Zarco's Ducati in 2021. The results also improved significantly.

Jack Miller has destroyed the top speed charts!

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The Aprilia's lap gain between November and March was 1.3 seconds, while the top speed was 2.4 km/h higher. The Aprilia also achieved a front row and top three finish in the Sprint. A first for the brand, before slowing down in the long race.

Aleix Espargaro put the Aprilia to the test on Saturday

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Between the two editions of the Qatar Grand Prix, Yamaha achieved a lap improvement of six tenths, as well as a 1.2 km/h improvement on its top speed of the weekend. The best results, however, were systematically obtained by Fabio Quartararo and showed a clear decline.

Fabio Quartararo is still the clear leader of Yamaha

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Honda's improvement in times over the weekend was comparable to that achieved by Yamaha, although slightly lower. The maximum speed, however, remained unchanged. Like its direct rival, the Japanese brand has seen its results weaken.

Johann Zarco has made his presence felt in the Honda clan

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