Nobody quite knows who MotoGP’s leading force will be when the teams rock up for testing in the 2027 season.
Of course, there’s a whole season of racing to go before then, but much of the rider market for the following year is about to kick into action.
Stars like Marc Marquez, Francesco Bagnaia, and Pedro Acosta are all approaching the end of their current deals, which should provoke a lot of activity.
Ducati will be keen to lock down Marquez, who made an immediate impact for them this season. Despite their advantage dwindling, he was still able to dominate.
Marquez will use his ‘instinct’ for his 2027 move, and won’t think too intensely about where to go next. It leaves fans questioning whether a Honda return could be on the cards.
After working with him for 12 months, Marquez reminds Luigi Dall’Igna of a ‘rookie’ and has been really impressed by his hunger.
Ducati already have a tyre advantage due to World Superbike links for the 2027 MotoGP season
Looking to the future, Ducati are in very safe hands with Dall’Igna at the helm. He’s a master at designing bikes, and that’s why Honda tried to pinch him a few years ago.
With a view to 2027, Ducati will be nearing the stage where they have an all-new 850cc bike ready to hit the track. KTM have already done so.
With Pirelli tyres set to replace Michelin, they also have a big advantage over their rivals, with World Superbike rider Nicolo Bulega, who has experience on both sets of tyres, able to test for them.
That’s not the only advantage they hold, though, with David Emmett of the Paddock Pass Podcast revealing how Ducati will be ahead of their rivals in other areas.
“Experience with Pirellis is going to help, which would give Ducati the advantage, and they’ve been very clever at ferrying those sorts of things out,” he said. “Ride height devices are going, holeshot devices are going, that’s going to change the dynamic of the bikes.
“So far, Ducati have still had the advantage in being able to figure things out quickly, being able to find the kind of advantages and exploit the kind of advantages [they have enjoyed]. But I do think it’s going to be a lottery, it’s all going to be up in the air.”
Why Ducati are under a bit of pressure heading into 2026
Although 2026 doesn’t mean too much in the context of the future, Ducati will still want to retain all the titles they won this year.
Marquez is hungry to move clear of Valentino Rossi in the history books, but the GP26 will need to be an improvement over the GP25.
Aprilia have been improving at an impressive rate, and Marco Bezzecchi is widely viewed as one of their closest challengers.
KTM’s Acosta should also be considered a threat, but that all depends on whether he gets a bike capable of challenging the front-runners consistently, and immediately from the start of the campaign.
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