Jorge Lorenzo reveals worrying signs for Ducati’s rivals after Sepang test

MotoGP legend Jorge Lorenzo says his trackside analysis from the Sepang test showed Ducati has “unfortunately” made “a strong step” with its 2026 bike.

The Italian manufacturer dominated the 2025 campaign, winning 17 grands prix out of 22 and easing to the world title with Marc Marquez.

But it’s inconsistent GP25 package allowed it to be reeled in somewhat by its rivals, most notably Aprilia, across the season.

Ahead of pre-season testing, questions hung over just where Ducati would be in the pecking order relative to the likes of Aprilia, and whether or not it could fix the issues of its GP25.

Following three days of running at Sepang, Ducati looks to have made gains with its GP26, with Alex Marquez fastest outright, while the Gresini rider, Pecco Bagania and Marc Marquez all completed encouraging sprint simulations.

Other bikes look “nervous” compared to the Ducati

Speaking to the MotoGP world feed after the final day of testing, three-time champion Lorenzo - who is working with Maverick Vinales as a performance coach - noted that the GP26 looks more stable than the rest of the grid’s machinery.

“Well, unfortunately, it looks like Ducati has clearly made a step forward - a strong step forward,” he said when asked for his assessment of the test.

“Looking from the track, in the corners, you can see the Ducati is so smooth, so electric, especially in the exit of the corners.

“They are so smooth at maximum angle, with 20% of throttle, but also when they pick up [the bike] they keep this smoothness for a long time.

“Instead, the other bikes look a little bit more nervous. But, as you can see, Alex, Marc, Pecco, they did a strong sprint simulation, so strong.

Read more: Five things we learned from the 2026 MotoGP Sepang test

“But, it’s also one track, maybe we [KTM] can be closer and Aprilia can be closer. It changes so much from track to track, but this start from Ducati is strong.

“As I could see, they improved the rear device at the start, but also in the exit of the corners looks very low, super low, and this for sure helps acceleration, to not wheelie.

“We also saw some very big wings on the front of the bike, like a Formula 1 car almost, and this downforce helps a lot to keep the bike very stable in acceleration.

“But I think last year Ducati almost didn’t improve anything, so they kept working for this year, and from what I see on this track, they’ve clearly made a step forward.

“Aprilia is not so bad, Honda also made a very nice step.”