MotoGP has been dominated by Ducati for the past three years, with Pecco Bagnaia winning back-to-back world titles and looking to make it a hat-trick. While Jorge Martin has managed to keep the championship exciting by competing on track, Aprilia and KTM have been left with the scraps, while Honda and Yamaha have struggled to catch up. Many are hoping that the new regulations planned for 2027 can rebalance the forces and provide a more competitive spectacle. However, two-time world champion Casey Stoner remains sceptical about these changes…
Casey Stoner, who offered to Ducati his first MotoGP title in 2007, doubts that the new rules will make a real difference in favour of opponents Ducati. " I think Ducati is basically trying to enforce its rules again. " he said on the 'Ducati Diaries' podcast with Neil Hodgson. They know they will have an advantage in this situation.. If you think about it, if you already have a lot of power, the gap will be bigger when you move to a smaller displacement engine. In their favor, This gap will be even bigger than it is now. »
According to Stoner, the domination of Ducati will not simply be a question of power. The new regulations could also affect racing dynamics. The braking zones will be reduced, so there will be less possibility of overtaking ", he added.
Casey Stoner: “ They want to get to the point where they can put any rider in the saddle and it will be somewhat competitive. »
While he welcomes some regulatory decisions, such as the abolition of holeshot devices, he criticizes other measures which, according to him, will not mitigate the current technological inflation. It always seems to me that they are two-wheeled Formula 1 cars. We have traction control, wheelie control, everything that Formula 1 doesn't have.. I understand that motorcycles need to progress technically, but There comes a time when all this has to stop. »
To Stoner, the true talent of the riders is eclipsed by the technological sophistication of modern motorcycles. I don't want something easy to ride, I want bikes that are hard to ride.. When that level of grip disappears, when it becomes more difficult to ride, so we start to see what people are capable of He said. Stoner believes that today's MotoGP is more of an engineering competition than a riders' competition, lamenting that technology is taking precedence over raw talent: " We are looking at a championship where engineers try to take the drivers out of driving. They want to get to the point where they can put any rider in the saddle and it will be somewhat competitive. »
Alors que le MotoGP looks to the future, the words of Stoner recall the importance of maintaining the balance between technology and talent, ensuring that it is the best drivers who triumph, and not simply the teams with the best technical innovations.
