Scott Redding: WorldSBK field spread "madness," lap times "insanely close"

MGM Bonovo Ducati rider Scott Redding says he is “closer” to the front than he expected in the 2025 WorldSBK season in terms of time, but his position looks worse because of the “insanely close” field.

Redding had his best performance of the 2025 World Superbike season since Australia in Race 1 at last weekend’s UK World Superbike round, but that came from a poor qualifying in 17th and was followed by a DNF due to a technical problem in the Superpole Race and a 12th place in Race 2 that underwhelmed after the positive Saturday.

Speaking after Race 1 on Saturday, Redding explained that his difficulty in making the results he expected from this year has been down to the level of WorldSBK in 2025, rather than an underperformance on his part.

“It’s hard, but a lot of times I’ve said this year ‘It is what it is,’ and I need to accept that,” Scott Redding said.

“There’s been a lot of tension, people expecting a lot more from me – internally, as family, from the team, myself.

“I expected to be fighting at the front this year, we know that was very clear and I truly believed that.

“There was five per cent in my head that thought I would be where I am. But that five per cent is here and it’s the reality, I can’t change it.

“So, I can try to force it, it’s not going to work.

“I know, as I’ve done all of these races this year, I’ve given 100 per cent. So, when I go home and some people say to me [about the result] – the result is sh*t, I know. What do you want me to do about it?

“If I’m sitting there going ‘Actually, I could’ve done better, I could’ve rode better,’ I understand. But when you give the maximum, the racing is so close, the lap times are so tight…

“I think I’m closer than I expected to be, I’m just way further down the order because everybody is so close. So, it’s what it is.”

Redding added that the tightness of the field in WorldSBK this year is “madness”.

“It’s difficult, because now it’s so close,” he said. “The lap times are insanely close.

“When you look at the qualifying or the practice, you have five guys in the same tenth. It’s madness that it’s that close.

“Some years ago, you’re looking to improve over the weekend maybe four-tenths, five-tenths. Now it’s thousandths.

“You’re there and it’s like ‘If I can just squeeze half-a-tenth’ – half-a-tenth is nothing. But to find it is more hard than finding half-a-second five years ago.

“So, the small details are making a big effect.”

Scott Redding highlights a key difference maker

Redding said this closeness exaggerates the impact of a team’s technical staff and a bike’s performance level.

“In my opinion, with the factory teams having more personnel working on electronics helps, for sure,” he said.

“Testing is a massive thing; we know that’s been a hindrance for me this year – trying to make racing and test isn’t going to work. It may work, but you aren’t going to be fighting for a championship.

“I don’t want to speak bad about my team because I feel like they’re giving the best they can give, if that makes sense. It might not be the best to what I want or what I need, but it’s the best they can give in that moment.

“The only thing is the [lack of preseason testing] did stop me in my rhythm a bit at the beginning of the year.

“But, now, the bike feels okay and I can manage to do the best job, but it’s still not enough – those guys are still seconds up the road.

“If you say to me ‘Scott, where can you find two tenths?’ I have no clue.

“Honestly, in qualifying I do the best lap I ever did, completely over the limit, suicide lap, and I qualify 10th.

“And, sure, one-tenth and I’m there. Then the front guys are one-point-something ahead.

“So, to find two-tenths, in my opinion, for me, is impossible. To find one second is like a different league. I can’t even think about that.

“So, bike, rider, combination – you have to accept it sometimes and, when you accept it you can understand your ability and your job better than dreaming.

“I’m a very real person. I expected to be there. I gave everything, I’m not there, so I need to do the best every weekend I can to be in a position that maybe I would not be happy with in the past but I need to realise now how tough World Superbike is.”

Scott Redding compares BSB to WSBK

Redding also spoke about how the technical aspect of WorldSBK compares with BSB, in which he'd ridden at Knockhill in place of the injured Glenn Irwin at PBM the week before.

“I don’t want so much stress and I feel like the bike and team is playing a massive factor now and the riders,” he said.

“I’d say – excluding your Bulega and Toprak [Razgatlioglu], they’re just on another level, Alex [Lowes] here [Donington] has been good – but for the rest of the riders that are in the same lap time, the bike setting is making that tenth or two.

“When I rode BSB last week, it for me was like a breath of fresh air because what I did made a difference.

“If I feel like I can open the gas more and I want to take that risk, I can do it; but in  [WorldSBK], if I want to open more, the bike’s not going to let me. So, the whole style of it is different.”