The biggest danger to Ducati’s dominance at the Argentina MotoGP has been identified.

Ducati were on top during the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix with Marc Marquez unstoppa𝓡ble throughout the wee🃏kend.

Behind him, Alex Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia ensured it was a Ducati free-for🍌-all.

But heading to Argentina, they have been told to watch out for Aprilia.

Factory rider Marco Bezzecchi won th✤e 2023 Argentina MotoGP (on a VR46 Ducꦛati) and also won at this circuit in Moto3.

Rookie Ai Ogura also shone in Thailand and could reproduce that form again, even if April🍃ia’s sta🌟r man Jorge Martin is still out injured.

Marco Bezzecchi pinpointed for Argentina MotoGP

“The Aprilia generally, in these conditions, w🌠orks well. It has a strong front end, it’s a good agile bike,” Lewis Duncan told the Crash MotoGP podcast.

“You’re looking at Aprilia taking a step forward. Bezzecchi had a strong first weekend and now knows what the weak﷽ point is - at the moment, it’s qualifying.

“He’s not quite sure where the limit of the bike is. He’s riding it automatically like it’s a Duca🐎ti, which will take time to🙈 get over.

“He was seventh on the grid in Thailand. If that’s the benchmark for when his time att♍ack is not brilliant? It’s not bad at all.

“A lot of the Argentina weekend will depe🥂nd on h♏ow well you get out of the gate on Friday.

“Friday will be a difficult day, it always is, because of the tr⛎ack conditions. If you come through that in a good place, the job is almost half-done.

“If you’re on the back foot going into qꦿღualifying, you’re playing catch-up.”

Doubts over Yamaha and Honda

Yamaha caught the eye du👍ring pre-season testing but weren’t able to convert thไat optimism into results in Thailand.

However,𓆉 the unique track conditions may have played a role in hiding Yamaha’s true pote𝕴ntial.

Lewis Duncan said about Yaꦺmaha in Argentina: “We go b♛ack to the normal tyre carcass on the rear which should help.

“If they♉ can get into a 🍷sweet spot with the front end, it should help.

“We haven’t seen the true form of Yamaha yet. Thailand was disappointing, there's no way of dressing 🌼it up. We expected more.

“Is Argentina going to be a real reflection? If they come away more compet⛄itively than Thailand, the🦹n it’s a good indicator.

“If they come away in the same pla🌠ce, it suggests there is more work to do. But maybe the track is the problem, with its g💯rip.”

Honda, the weakest manufacturer last year, saw Johann Zarco finish seventh in Thailജand.

“Honda came through the Thai weekend strongly,” Le꧑♍wis Duncan said.

“They don’t ไhave traction or top speed but they were fine, they were competitiꦑve by their standards.

“Austin and Spain are the next races 💟for Honda that I’m keeping an eye on.

“They are both good 𒁃circuits for that ♋bike, generally. Especially at Jerez without a long straight.

“Argentina will be interesting because it wౠill give us more of an idea of where the Japanese manufacturers are.

“But it’s an odd circu🍒it so there will be caveats.”