- Michele Pirro completed the first public shakedown of the Ducati Desmosedici GP27 with 850 cc engine and Pirelli tyres in Misano
- Francesco Bagnaia sees the current GP26 as too dependent on rear tyre grip, which leads to severe degradation in races
- Nicolo Bulega is, despite his role as 850 cc test rider, not the first choice for a MotoGP seat in 2027
While the 2026 MotoGP season is only just gathering pace and Ducati appears unusually vulnerable, the factory from Borgo Panigale has, behind the scenes, already ushered in the next era. At the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, test rider Michele Pirro turned the first publicly documented laps on the new Desmosedici GP27 on Monday. The prototype features the downsized 850 cc four-cylinder engine, revised aerodynamics and rolls on Pirelli tyres, which from 2027 onwards will replace Michelin as the single tyre supplier of MotoGP. With this, Ducati lines up behind KTM and Honda as the third manufacturer to deploy its 2027 prototype on a racetrack.
Shakedown in the shadow of the V2 Champ Academy
The test runs in Misano were not an isolated factory outing but were embedded in an event of the “V2 Future Champ Ducati Academy. This customer racing programme is aimed at owners of the Panigale V2 looking to enter motorsport, and comprises a total of six events at various Italian race circuits. Between the participants’ sessions, the Ducati test team used the track for the GP27 shakedown.
Pirro rode the prototype according to the new regulatory specifications for 2027: without ride-height systems and with reduced aerodynamics. Italian media published photos and videos showing the test rider on the Pirelli-shod machine with visibly altered fairing. Ducati confirmed that it was indeed the 850 cc prototype for the upcoming regulatory era.
The Misano test was, however, not the absolute premiere of the GP27. Weeks earlier, the bike is said to have run for the first time under the Andalusian sun in Jerez, behind closed doors. KTM was also present at those test sessions with its own 850 cc prototype. Ducati Corse boss Gigi Dall’Igna had predicted to media last autumn that the first tests with Pirro would take place towards the end of the first quarter, which has now been confirmed.
Tardozzi on site, bad weather slows the test
Alongside the test team, Davide Tardozzi was also present in Misano. The long-time team manager of the Ducati Lenovo squad and close confidant of Michele Pirro observed the work on the new prototype. However, bad weather on the Adriatic coast meant only a few laps were possible on Monday. The V2 Future Champ Academy event continued on Tuesday, and Pirro was also able to gather further data.
Pirelli currently supports the individual development tests of the manufacturers with their 850 cc prototypes. The next joint Pirelli group test for test riders is expected to take place at the end of May, again in Misano. Things will get really interesting after the Grand Prix of Czechia at Brno: on the Monday after the race, the regular MotoGP riders are due to gather their first experiences with the 2027 material.
Bulega is meant to take over, but a MotoGP seat remains uncertain
Originally it was planned that Superbike works rider Nicolo Bulega would take on the main work on developing the GP27 with Pirelli tyres. The Misano outing primarily served as a technical check, a classic functional test ensuring that all systems work as intended. The first more extensive test outing with Bulega at the controls is scheduled for late April or early May. From June onwards, Bulega is to be more closely involved in the test process.
Ducati had already used Bulega last year as test rider for the 850 cc project in order to benefit from his long-standing experience with Pirelli tyres from the Superbike World Championship. In addition, at the end of the 2025 season, he was allowed to step in as a replacement for Marc Marquez in the final two races at Portimao and Valencia, as well as in the post-season test. There he finished 15th in both races, but showed clear progress in the test.
Despite this role and his dominant form in the 2026 Superbike World Championship, where he comfortably outpaced the competition with two triple wins at Phillip Island and Portimao, a step up to MotoGP for 2027 is anything but certain. Five of the six Ducati seats in the 2027 MotoGP grid are considered as good as taken: Marc Marquez stays in the factory team, Pedro Acosta is set to come from KTM and replace Francesco Bagnaia. At VR46, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Fermin Aldeguer are expected to ride. Gresini Racing is reported to be signing Daniel Holgado from Moto2. For the last remaining seat at Gresini, Enea Bastianini is being talked about more than Bulega.
Bulega’s manager Alberto Martinelli confirmed to media that no concrete offer is on the table. “We currently do not have a written offer,” he said. “Nicolo is not the first choice, otherwise he would already be under contract.” However, he stressed that the team was ready in case an opportunity arose. “As long as there is hope, we work towards this goal. If the move to the other paddock does not happen, we will calmly reassess everything.”
Bagnaia is set to move to Aprilia, Acosta arrives
The rider carousel rumours go far beyond Bulega. Francesco Bagnaia, the two-time MotoGP world champion, is reportedly set to move to Aprilia for 2027. His seat in the Ducati factory team would be taken by Pedro Acosta, who currently rides for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team. Alex Marquez, in turn, is said to take the opposite path and join the KTM factory team.
Aprilia as the only manufacturer without a track test
While Ducati, KTM, Honda and also Yamaha have already tested their 850 cc prototypes on the racetrack, Aprilia stands alone as the only manufacturer still without a track test. The first appearance of the Aprilia RS-GP27 is set to take place after the Spanish Grand Prix at private tests in Jerez, scheduled for the Thursday and Friday after the race weekend.
Especially when it comes to Pirelli tyres, Aprilia has a disadvantage compared to Ducati, Honda and Yamaha: these three manufacturers have been active in the Superbike World Championship for years and are correspondingly familiar with the characteristics of the Pirelli compounds. Aprilia must first acquire this knowledge. From 2027, Pirelli will replace Michelin as the single supplier in MotoGP, while Michelin in turn moves to the Superbike World Championship.
Ducati’s tyre problem in the ongoing 2026 season
Parallel to its work on the future, Ducati is plagued in the ongoing 2026 MotoGP season by tangible problems with the current GP26. Above all, Francesco Bagnaia is suffering from striking wear of the rear tyre, which regularly costs him positions in the closing laps of races.
Valentino Rossi had already pointed to this problem at a meeting in Misano, saying that Bagnaia’s rear tyre degrades heavily and he becomes slower in the final laps, while in 2024 he had been particularly strong in the closing stages.
The problem was particularly evident at the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin. In the sprint, Bagnaia lost the lead on the last lap to Jorge Martin, who was the only rider to have chosen the medium rear tyre. On the second-to-last lap, Bagnaia was slower not only than Martin, but also than Pedro Acosta, Joan Mir, Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini, Raul Fernandez, Ai Ogura, Johann Zarco, Brad Binder and even his teammate Marc Marquez, who was running at the back of the field with a damaged motorcycle.
In the Grand Prix itself, the trend continued: despite switching to the medium rear tyre, Bagnaia dropped from fifth to tenth place in the closing laps. “Even without pushing, I burned up the rear tyre,” he explained. “The last two laps I was completely on the limit, risked a crash on the right side. It was similar to Thailand and Goiania.”
Bagnaia sees the cause in the basic character of the GP26. “The rear tyre consumption is very strange. I think our motorcycle has to turn with the rear wheel, because the front wheel pushes,” he analysed. “We can’t brake the bike well, the front pushes quite a lot, and we have to turn with the rear. That destroys the tyre.”
Confirmation from the VR46 rider
Fabio Di Giannantonio, who currently leads the Ducati faction and recently took two pole positions in a row as well as the only Grand Prix podium of the season for Ducati in Brazil, confirmed Bagnaia’s assessment. “Our rear tyre is really good, we just use it for everything,” he said. In recent years, Ducati had dominated races thanks to control over the rear tyre. But the competition had significantly improved its front end, and sole control of the rear tyre was no longer enough. “We have to significantly improve braking and corner entry. When I was behind the Aprilias and Pedro Acosta, I simply could not brake the bike the way they did.”
Suppo warns against premature judgements about Ducati
Former MotoGP team manager Livio Suppo, who in his career worked among others with Ducati, Honda and Suzuki, however warns against exaggerated talk of crisis at Ducati. “If crises were always like this… I think Yamaha would sign immediately, maybe also Repsol Honda,” he commented with a laugh.
Suppo sees the reasons for the currently weaker results rather in details: technical fine-tuning, different tyres and unusual track characteristics had distorted the balance of power. “When you want to further improve a very competitive motorcycle, it gets even harder,” he pointed out.
Suppo rejected the criticism that Ducati had relied too much on Marc Marquez. The Ducati had never been so much in the hands of a single rider as the Honda once was with Marquez. There had always been several strong Ducati riders. The fact that the reigning world champion is currently falling short of expectations is, in his view, not down to a lack of motivation, but to the fact that Marquez is not at his physical best. Marquez himself does not push the responsibility onto the material: “He says the problem is him, not the bike.”
Suppo is more concerned about Bagnaia’s form. “It is strange to see that he is again only fast in phases,” he said. A second weak year in a row would significantly worsen the situation. Nevertheless, he urges patience: “Before we speak of a real crisis, I would wait for two or three more races.”
Aprilia on the rise, Suppo praises Sterlacchini
While Ducati is occupied with itself, Aprilia is experiencing a remarkable upswing. Marco Bezzecchi leads the 2026 championship standings, with Jorge Martin directly behind him. Suppo particularly highlights the work of technical chief Fabiano Sterlacchini, who joined Aprilia at the end of 2024. “Fabiano is doing an excellent job. This is now the confirmation,” he said.
Martin’s return to the top after missed tests and physical problems also impresses Suppo: “His comeback is perhaps the biggest surprise.” It is also remarkable, he added, that Aprilia has consistently achieved its success with more limited financial resources than, for example, Yamaha. “They have always kept a very close eye on the budget.”
Bagnaia goes into the first European round of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez at the end of April as ninth in the championship. There, an intensive test week also begins: after the race weekend, an official MotoGP test follows on the Monday with the current 1,000 cc machines and Michelin tyres, then Moto2 and Moto3 test for two days, before the private tests with the 850 cc prototypes and Pirelli tyres take place. Jerez will thus become a benchmark, both for Ducati’s present and for the future of all manufacturers.
Frequently Asked Questions
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When did Ducati first test the 850 cc GP27 prototype?
The first publicly documented shakedown took place on Monday in Misano with test rider Michele Pirro. However, the absolute premiere is said to have already taken place weeks earlier in private tests at Jerez.
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Which manufacturers have already tested their 2027 MotoGP prototype?
KTM was the first manufacturer to put its 850 cc prototype into operation in December 2025. Honda, Yamaha and now Ducati followed. Only Aprilia has not yet run its bike on the racetrack, but plans the rollout after the Spanish GP at Jerez.
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Why does Bagnaia have problems with the rear tyre of the Ducati GP26?
Bagnaia and his teammate Di Giannantonio believe that the current GP26 relies too heavily on the rear tyre to turn, because the front wheel pushes. This load leads to severe degradation in the closing laps and cost Bagnaia valuable positions in the first three races of the season.
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Will Nicolo Bulega race in MotoGP in 2027?
Despite his role as 850 cc test rider and his dominant form in the 2026 Superbike World Championship, Bulega is not regarded as the first choice for a Ducati MotoGP seat. Five of the six Desmosedici seats are as good as taken, and his manager confirms that no concrete offer is on the table.
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Who replaces Bagnaia at Ducati in MotoGP 2027?
Pedro Acosta is set to move from KTM to the Ducati factory team and take Bagnaia’s seat. Bagnaia himself is being linked with a move to Aprilia.
➜ This article is part of our comprehensive overview: 2026 MotoGP Season: The Complete Overview – Teams, Riders, Calendar & Championship Standings. Find all key information on this topic in one place.
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