Engine management is crucial in MotoGP, and Ducati is a perfect example of this this season. With just four races remaining, Ducati riders are in a variety of situations regarding engine availability. Marc Marquez is the most restricted, with only four engines available for use in the upcoming races in Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and Valencia. All of these engines have already been used, except the last one, which will necessarily be fresh for the Malaysia race, as required by the regulations.
At Ducati, each driver is entitled to eight engines for the season. Once these eight units are used, they have no additional options, which makes management all the more important. Currently, Marc Marquez is the most vulnerable, having already removed two engines and exhausted almost all of its available units. This could limit its performance if mechanical problems were to arise in the next races.
At the other end of the spectrum is George Martin, which still has seven working engines, which gives him a safety margin. He has used six engines so far, but the last one, run in Motegi, has only been used for testing. This situation gives him peace of mind, allowing him to push his Ducati without fear of running out of units at the end of the season.
Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia have enough Ducati engine to enjoy their duel
Pecco Bagnaia, another contender for the title, is in an intermediate position, with six engines available. Another new engine will be unlocked at Sepang, giving him a good margin for the final races.
As for the other Ducati riders, Enea Bastianini has six engines, five of which are already well used, whileAlex Marquez et Fabio Di Giannantonio end up with five engines each, most of which have covered many kilometers. Marco Bezzecchi, for its part, has six units, which places it in a situation of relative security.
This limitation of engines, imposed by the rules MotoGP, aims to reduce costs while promoting reliability. The engines, sealed at the start of the season, cannot be modified, which requires teams to anticipate and plan their use precisely. This constraint makes each strategic decision essential to hope to remain competitive until the end of the season. The challenge for teams is therefore to optimize the use of these engines to avoid failures and maintain performance until the end, a task where Ducati will have to excel to hope to win the title.
