Is the Ducati era over? Michele Pirro: "Dominating for years is abnormal

Ducati engaged on a double front in MotoGP. On the one hand, it must continue to develop the Desmosedici GP26, especially in light of Aprilia’s progress highlighted at the Thai GP. On the other, it is working on the next 850cc bike that will have to comply with the regulations coming into force in 2027.

In recent days, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer put test rider Michele Pirro to work at Jerez to continue the evolution of the 2027 Red. It will be a very different Ducati from the current one, not only due to the change of tire supplier, but above all because of the near elimination of aerodynamics and the reduction in displacement. Of course, the changes will affect all MotoGP manufacturers, but in recent years the Red has made holeshot systems one of its trump cards. Over the three days of private testing at Jerez, the focus was mainly on the future, while Aprilia, KTM, and Yamaha focused more on the present.

The numbers and results obtained in Thailand have put Ducati at the center of attention. Aprilia claimed its first win of the season and it rings like a wake-up call. “In sport there are cycles; it would be abnormal to dominate for years and years,” Michele Pirro reminded ‘AS’. However, the Emilia-based brand continues to be favored even for this newly started MotoGP season. All in all, there was no outright defeat for the Desmosedicis at Buriram. “If it hadn’t been for bad luck (a puncture, ed.), Marquez would have been on the podium.”

Partly the Michelin carcass adopted for the Thai GP, partly the morphology of the circuit, and partly bad luck made life difficult for Ducati in the first round of the World Championship. It certainly won’t be a championship that Marc Marquez can win again with five races to spare. It will be a battle “that will be fought until the last race.”