MotoGP | Stoner: “Ducati will have an advantage even with the new regulation”

2027 marks a profound change in MotoGP, the new regulation will come into force and it will be interesting to see if the roles will be reversed. No more height devices, reduced displacement and many other new features: it will be a different MotoGP, which will move away from that extreme technology that is making many turn up their noses.

There are also those who hypothesize the end of Ducati’s domination, which now holds the championship hegemony with eight bikes on the grid and mind-boggling numbers. Yet, according to Casey Stoner, it will not be so obvious to see the Red from Borgo Panigale forced to chase, on the contrary. The multiple Australian champion maintains that even from 2027, opponents will be forced to consider Ducati as the bike to beat.

“I think they know they have an advantage in that situation,” Stoner explained on Neil Hodgson’s podcast. “You already have a lot of power, like everyone else. But Ducati still has a tremendous advantage, the gap will be bigger when you go to a smaller engine. The advantage, for them, will be even bigger than it is now.”

The reduction in displacement, therefore, will continue to favor Ducati according to Stoner. But there will also be other aspects that will ensure that the Desmosedici continue to live their moment of glory: “The braking zones will be reduced, and the speed in the corners could increase. In this situation there will be fewer opportunities to overtake, because it is not like the 125cc, the 250cc, the Moto3”.

One of the most appreciated aspects of the new regulation is the removal of height devices, a sort of return to a MotoGP that winks less at Formula 1. However, Stoner believes that, despite some good ideas, a lot needs to be removed to return to seeing races that celebrate the talent of the riders more than the bikes: “They’ve done some things right with some of the elements that have been, but the rest is not even remotely close to what it should be”.

“It still feels like a Formula 1 car with two wheels. We have traction control, anti-wheelie and all the things that F1 doesn’t have. I understand that bikes have to progress technically, but at some point you have to stop. I want to see the talent of the drivers. When I look at a slow motion image, I don’t want to see fins flexing, I want to see drivers sliding, controlling a wheelie, finding grip where there isn’t any,” Stoner explained.

The Australian is also perplexed by the way some riders behave, who, carried away by the heat, throw themselves into actions that they consider dangerous: “We are starting to see some things in MotoGP, riders who see an opening and exploit it. For me it is an incredibly immature way of thinking, wanting to win at all costs. I hate that way of thinking, in my opinion it is the lowest of lows: it basically says ‘I am not good enough to win, so I will take any path to do it’”.