New Headline: Sylvain Guintoli's Thrilling Ducati Run Lights Up Jerez!
Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images Aprilia have stepped up as a genuine title contender in MotoGP this season, and Sylvain Guintoli believes Ducati are already working on a response to the Italian constructor’s impressive aerodynamic package. Ducati started the 2026 season slower than expected by their usual standards. Marc Marquez, who is defending his title, didn’t feature near the front in Buriram.
Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi won the race while riding for Aprilia, ending Ducati’s run of 88 consecutive races with at least one bike on the podium. In contrast, Aprilia had all four of their bikes finish inside the top five in Buriram—a clear sign they’ve made significant progress over the offseason. It’s too soon to say whether Aprilia have overtaken Ducati as the grid’s best bike, but reports suggest that Borgo Panigale could be preparing an aerodynamic update to regain their edge.
The story was first picked up by Sylvain Guintoli, who told MotoGP: “There are also some rumours that Ducati is planning on bringing some new aero quite soon. ” Sylvain Guintoli believes Ducati was trialling an aero upgrade during the Jerez MotoGP test Photo by Roberto Tommasini/NurPhoto via Getty Images Discussing the recent MotoGP test at Jerez, Sylvain Guintoli pointed out that photos of Michele Pirro on the Ducati prototype suggested he was evaluating a new upgrade rather than riding the 2027 model. Speaking on the Gas It Out podcast, Guintoli explained: “They are still developing the 2026 bike.
Even though manufacturers are concentrating on 2027 and the new 850s and the new set of rules, they’re still working on this year’s bike. “The Michele Pirro images that we saw there, he was on Michelin tyres, and it did look like the ride-height device was activated at the exit of the last turn. He went on to note changes in what appeared to be a different aerodynamic package.
“As well, it looked like they had a different aero package. So this looks like more that they were testing for an upgrade. So Ducati, obviously, no concessions, but they are allowed one aero upgrade during the year.