Ducati still seeking bike improvement for “fantastic” end to MotoGP 2026
Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi assesses where the marque is at the summer break
Ducati’s David Tardozzi says he hopes “our engineers will bring something to improve the bike soon” as it looks to sustain its title challenge into the second half of MotoGP 2026.
The Italian marque’s era of domination has come to an end in 2026, with Aprilia offering a stern challenge in the first part of the campaign.
Still, Ducati has kept itself in the title hunt across the opening 11 races, with Marc Marquez overturning a 102-point deficit after Mugello to end the first half of the season just 18 points adrift of Aprilia’s Jorge Martin.
VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio is 24 points back in fifth, while Pecco Bagnaia is 65 down.
“Trust will make the difference”
Speaking to the official MotoGP website in Germany, Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi is hoping for the brand to make another step with the GP26 in the second half of the season.
“I guess that the trust we have in the riders and the trust they have in Gigi [Dall’Igna] and the engineers on the technical side of Ducati Corse is something that lets me think in a positive way,” he said.
“This is because the relationship inside the team is very close, and that means that the trust will make the difference in the future.
“I really hope our engineers will bring something to improve the bike soon.
“Having said that, we believe that, with a bit more luck and also performance, Marc and Pecco will do a fantastic second part of the season.”
On Ducati’s season so far, Tardozzi added: “The first part of the season has been up and down.
“We started not in a good way because of some accidents.
“Pecco wasn’t performing in a proper way, but after a couple of races, we raised the level of our bike towards our opponents, and I think with a bit more luck Pecco and Marc did good results.
“Pecco did four podiums in a row, while Marc won two races [prior to his third in Germany], on both Saturday and Sunday.
“The last couple of races have been very good, even if we think that our opponents are still a small step ahead of us.”
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