WorldSBK: Ducati penalized again — new fuel-flow reduction from Most

Panigale V4 R once again “slowed down” by the SBK regulations, while the R1 gets a benefit starting this weekend in the Czech Republic.

The dominance of Nicolò Bulega and, in general, of Ducati is not without consequences in terms of regulations. On the eve of the Superbike round at Assen, a 0.5 kg/h reduction in fuel flow for the Panigale V4 R had already been made official, bringing it to a maximum value of 44.5 kg/h. Ahead of the Most round it was announced as follows: “FIM/DWO has determined that Ducati has exceeded the MSMA performance threshold defined in Article 2.4 of the regulations. Consequently, Ducati will face a reduction in fuel flow of 0.5 kg/h.”

The Bologna bike thus drops to 44 kg/h of maximum fuel flow. So far, the penalties have not created particular problems for Ducati, which has worked to be ready even for these situations.

Nothing should change in the Czech Republic either, where Yamaha, on the other hand, will be able to count on 0.5 kg/h more on the R1s (now 47 kg/h total). A small boost for the Iwata-based manufacturer, which has been struggling a bit at the start of the 2026 SBK season. We’ll see if Andrea Locatelli and his fellow brand riders notice a slight improvement in performance.

It should be remembered that at Assen not only the Panigale V4 R was penalized, but also the Bimota KB998 Rimini. A decision that’s not easy to understand. It’s true that Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani had been very competitive at Phillip Island, but then at Portimao they didn’t confirm themselves on the podium. Sometimes it’s really hard to understand the logic behind decision-making in the Superbike World Championship.

In the case of fuel flow, there’s an algorithm that takes into account the performance of each manufacturer. In Ducati’s case, it’s no surprise that action was taken to try to rein in the Panigale V4 R, which with Nicolò Bulega has won all twelve races of 2026 and with Iker Lecuona has finished second in the last nine. We’ve also seen other Ducati riders on the podium, such as Lorenzo Baldassarri, Yari Montella, Alvaro Bautista, and Sam Lowes. The Bologna machine is the best bike, no doubt about it. But limiting its fuel flow doesn’t seem to be the right move to try to achieve greater balance on the SBK grid.