“I expect we’ll beat 366km/h,” but “traction more important than top speed”

Mugello, venue for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, is the scene of MotoGP’s official top speed record, an eye-watering 366.1km/h (227.5mph) set by Brad Binder during the 2023 Sprint race.

The record was later matched by fellow KTM rider Pol Espargaro, who achieved the same speed as a wild-card during free practice at last year’s event.

Now, with the 2025 MotoGP field arriving at the high-speed Tuscan circuit, Binder believes the benchmark could finally be broken.

“My bike is a weapon, it’s so fast down the straights!” smiled the South African on Thursday.

“Isn’t that number [366km/h] from two years ago? So I expect we’ll go faster now.”

While KTM’s power advantage on the straights is clear, Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia - winner of the past three Mugello GPs - used the recent Aragon round as evidence that traction and acceleration remain more decisive.

“In Aragon, we clearly saw that traction and acceleration are more important than the top speed,” said Bagnaia, who held off Binder’s team-mate Pedro Acosta for third.

“Because in Aragon, I overtook him in the straight.”

Looking to Mugello, Bagnaia acknowledged the significance of top-end performance but maintained that corner exit traction would once again be the key.

“I think in this track the slipstream and the straight are longer, so it could be easier to overtake,” he continued.

“And it's true that top speed is super important.

"But it’s more important to have a good traction exiting from the corners.”

Efforts to increase aerodynamic downforce have also limited gains in MotoGP top speed, due to the extra drag.

This weekend will be the penultimate grand prix appearance for the mighty 1000cc machines on MotoGP's fastest straight, with new 850cc engines being introduced for 2027.