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In any Motorsport discipline, a change in technical regulations also generates a change in the status quo in terms of the competitiveness of each manufacturer present. In MotoGP today there is a true domination of Ducati that has been brought about by both technical and sporting conditions. Indeed, on the one hand there is a bike capable of winning 10 of the first 11 races of the season, thinking only of the Grands Prix. On the other there are 8 bikes on the track with most of the best talents on the grid riding them.
However, it's a scenario that might change starting in 2027, with a rule change aimed at reshuffling the cards by theoretically making the bikes on the track 'easier' to ride. Only Casey Stoner, often a voice out of the chorus, is convinced that the scenario may even be more favorable to the Italian manufacturer with this rule change. He explained this during Neil Hodgson's Ducati Diaries podcast.
"I think they know they have an advantage in that situation. If you think about it, if you already have a lot of power, everybody has a lot of power now, and yet Ducati still has an exceptional advantage, the gap will be greater when you switch to a lower displacement engine. The advantage, for them, will be even bigger than it is now."
It's not just about the engine for Casey.
"The braking zones will shrink, and when the braking zones shrink there are fewer opportunities to overtake. The cornering speed might increase, which favors less overtaking because it's not like 125, 250, Moto3, it's not like that; there's still enough power to separate everyone in acceleration, but everything will reduce in terms of overtaking opportunities, in my opinion. They've done some things right with some of the elements that have been removed (like the ride height devices), but the rest of it is nowhere near what it should be."
Stoner has been arguing for years how current MotoGP bikes are overly technological.
"I still feel like they are Formula 1 cars with two wheels. They have traction control, wheelie control and everything that Formula 1 doesn't have. I understand that motorcycles have to advance technically to a certain point, but at a certain point you have to stop. I want to see the talent of these riders. I want to watch a slow-motion movie and instead of seeing the flaps flexing, I want to see these riders sliding, controlling a wheelie, finding grip where there is none. That's the point of these races, the challenge. People always complain in motocross that the 450 MXs are too powerful, they complain that the MotoGPs are too powerful, too big. But that's exactly the point: you have to learn to control the power."
According to Stoner, there is then another aspect to consider.
"We are starting to see certain things now in MotoGP. People see an opening and exploit it. To me this is an incredibly immature way of thinking, which is to win at all costs. I hate that way of thinking. I mean, if you stop and think about what you're saying, or what someone is willing to do, in my opinion it's the lowest point of the lows: it basically says 'I'm not good enough to win, so I'll take any route to do it.'"
