In recent years, Ducati has been the clear dominator of MotoGP. This year, they started strong again with two victories in the first two rounds, but they weren’t as competitive in the Americas GP – where they finished behind Aprilia and KTM.
At this point, there are two constructors that seem to be clearly out of the title fight – Yamaha and especially Honda, which are still far behind the Europeans despite concessions and expected gradual progress.
At this moment, Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati) leads the championship. The Spaniard has 21 more points than Enea Bastianini (Ducati) and 24 more than Maverick Viñales (Aprilia). Despite Martín’s more privileged position, there are indications that the title could have a real contest among the three European constructors.
Aprilia dominated in Austin – although it was more through Viñales, as the other riders were not as competitive. And KTM hasn’t missed the podium yet – first with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) in Qatar and then two consecutive podiums from Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GasGas Tech3/KTM).
The season is still just beginning, and with the Spanish GP and the entry into Europe, indications of more solid performances are expected to emerge – also due to the unique circuit typologies visited so far.
In any case, it seems that, at this moment, there are three constructors with proven potential to fight for victories – Aprilia, KTM, and, of course, Ducati, which remains the benchmark. Theoretically, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer is better positioned considering they have more teams and riders in the field.
However, on an individual level, it will be interesting to see what the men from Aprilia and KTM can do. If Viñales consistently shows a similar level to that of the Americas GP, he will undoubtedly be one of the contenders. And Acosta, if with only three rounds of experience in the premier class he’s already leading races, as he adapts, he could become an even tougher rival to beat.
That said, despite the open fight in perspective, the favoritism will always be on Ducati’s side, including at the level of riders – just consider that they have the top three from last year in their ranks: two-time champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), Martín, and Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46/Ducati). Additionally, there’s Marc Márquez (Gresini/Ducati), who could be a sort of «dark horse» considering he competes with last year’s bike.