POL ESPARGARO SAYS DUCATI HAVE AN EDGE ON 2027 PIRELLI DATA

KTM test rider Pol Espargaro believes Ducati already hold an edge ahead of the 2027 MotoGP rule overhaul, pointing to both the team’s resources and the extra technical information they can draw from outside MotoGP. With the regulations set to reshape the category—moving from 1000cc down to 850cc, banning ride-height devices, and introducing Pirelli tyres—Espargaro expects the pecking order to be difficult to predict. Still, he says Ducati are likely to be among the first to look competitive.

Espargaro’s main argument is that Ducati will be better prepared for the tyres than rivals who do not have the same background. He highlighted that Ducati’s World Superbike programme has given them access to Pirelli data that other manufacturers may not have. In his view, it’s not just about having the rubber available, but about knowing how to manage it across race distances and how to optimise it for one-lap performance.

He also referenced the work already being done by Ducati’s riders and testing programme. Espargaro noted that Nicolo Bulega has been extensively testing Ducati’s 850cc bike, describing it as a source of “vital data” on the new machine and on the Pirelli tyres, while also giving Bulega experience ahead of his move to VR46 in 2027.

Beyond the tyre information, Espargaro pointed to Ducati’s broader stability and continuity. He said the team’s recent dominance and its rider line-up—Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta signed until 2028—make them the kind of outfit that can translate early preparation into immediate speed when the new era arrives.

To underline how dramatic the change is, Espargaro compared the physical demands of the current 1000cc MotoGP bikes to what he expects with the 850cc package and Pirellis. “You cannot even compare,” he said when discussing the gap between this year and next year’s machines. He added that with the 850 and the Pirellis he can “do two races in a row,” calling it “much, much less physical.” By contrast, he described the 1000cc bike experience as extremely taxing, saying that after only two laps the heart rate is “so high that it’s insane.”

Espargaro also commented on the current difficulty level of MotoGP with the Michelin tyres, suggesting that the category’s intensity is so high that even strong amateur riders cannot replicate the performance. “But no one can ride a MotoGP with the Michelins. It’s impossible,” he said, adding that the “level of craziness” in the current class is “amazing,” while also seeing value in stepping away from it to better understand the new direction.

On the competitive picture, Espargaro said KTM and Ducati are “leading the way” with Pirelli preparations for 2027, but he argued Ducati’s advantage is amplified by their Superbike involvement. “In the end it’s a kind of Superbike,” he said, explaining that the Ducati MotoGP effort is closely related to the Superbike concept and therefore benefits from familiarity. He stressed that the key is how Ducati can treat the tyres—how to make them last better during races and how to perform when chasing a single lap—because they have “a lot of information” that other manufacturers, particularly those not on superbikes, do not.

He also acknowledged that Honda and Yamaha are in WSBK as well, meaning they can access Pirelli tyres like Ducati, while KTM and Aprilia are “slightly behind” in that specific regard. Even so, Espargaro maintained that every factory will still need time to adapt to the new rubber and to understand how the 2027 package behaves in practice.