Everything We Know From Ducati’s 850cc MotoGP Shakedown at Misano
ducati gp27 misano shakedown Ducati took advantage of an event at Misano to perform a shakedown of its GP27 on Pirelli tires. Here's what we can learn from the images. I'm glued to MotoGP even more in 2026 than I was last season.
So much so that, when we're in the midst of a two-week break in racing, as we are now, I get withdrawals. Thankfully, with an all-new ruleset coming into play next year, there's plenty of MotoGP news to keep fans occupied in the meantime, and right now it's coming courtesy of Ducati. The GP27 Bologna Bullet was spotted testing earlier this month at Misano, and the brand's MotoGP test rider, Michele Pirro, was behind the bars at the Italian circuit for the bike's maiden shakedown test, in preparation for the 2027 ruleset .
We know there's an 850cc powerplant hidden under the fairings, but not much else regarding the powertrain or output. What's striking, however, is the upper winglet section at the front, which looks much smaller than what we currently see because of the regulations, but in the photos, it almost looks smaller than what we've seen from KTM and HONDA . All Things Ducati This New Ducati Patent Might Be The Most “Ducati” EV Motorcycle Idea Yet Ducati Fans, There's A New Postage Stamp Celebrating Its 100th Birthday It's possible that Ducati has opted for less front-end downforce in the hopes of retaining a high top speed with less downforce.
It's also possible that my eyes are deceiving me, and the front aero is as prominent as we've seen on the other '27 machinery, because it seems unlikely that the Italian manufacturer won't make the most of the new, shorter-width aero regulations. But we can see with certainty that the bike appears to have relaxed the rear aero. In the pictures from the shakedown, the GP27 has a single rear wing with end plates instead of the two-tiered box found on the current GP26.
The aero on the rear tail section helps give the rear tire more grip, so could this be another possible instance of Ducati toning down the level of downforce to suit the reduced power output from the 850cc engine? All of the aero can and probably will change between this shakedown and the first race of 2027. We have yet to officially see Yamaha test its next-generation bike, although we know the Japanese manufacturer has been testing behind closed doors.