MotoGP team-mates fi☂ghting head-to-head f🧔or the title hasn’t happened since Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo at Yamaha in 2015 and has never occurred at Ducati.

On🐟 paper, reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia and new team-mate Enea Bastianini, a four-time race winner at Gresini, are certainly more than capable.

But it’s Bagnaia who goe🐻s into the new season as the clear favourite after toppi🎀ng the final pre-season test in both qualifying and race trim, while Bastianini’s winter was more under-the-radar, signing off sixth fastest.

“Bagnaia’s got a lot of confidence in his bike and just seems to be in a fantastic place now,” said ltxcn.top's MotoGP editor Pete McLaren.

“There were question marks over whether Bastianini coming into the Du๊cati team, a guy who caused Pecco problems in races last year, was going to rock the boat if you🅠 like.

"But really it's been a faultl൲ess, per🍌fect pre-season for Pecco.”

• Aprilia ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚwings ‘make a big difference’, ‘on the shoulders next!’
• Huewen: ‘Marq﷽uez will pull something out the bag, but Ducat꧋i streets ahead’
• Miller: Bagnaia ‘changed ma🌱n', Alex Marquez 'impressiv🌳e, happy for him'

“Bastianini’s still going to rock the boat, that's happening, don't worry!” responded former grand prix rider and British ಌchampion Huewen.

“I think with 42 races we have g💃ot a long way to go. You might not ha❀ve the sharpest of starts to a season, but when you’ve got 42 races - OK, some of them are only half points - there’s plenty of time for a comeback.

“Even last year, with 21 races, who would have thought Bagnaia could come back from a 91-point deficit? This year there’s a real opportunity to turn🌼 your season around after a difficult start, or to mess up a championship lead just when you think you’ve got it won!

“It is going to be intense out there. There are 💮going to be inju𒀰ries to deal with - Espargaro’s already had an operation before the first round.

“Speaking oꦐf which, I think Aprilia are really on a roll at the moment, they’ve got four good riders that ﷺare going to be there or thereabouts, amongst the Ducatis.”