Is Ducati “untouchable” now in MotoGP? One rider doesn’t think so

Ducati has won all but one grand prix in the 2024 MotoGP season so far, but one rider doesn’t believe the Italian manufacturer is as “untouchable as everyone thinks”.

Of the 16 grands prix run in 2024, Ducati riders have won 15, with it going unbeaten since the Spanish GP.

Only Aprilia has been able to ensure Ducati does not take a clean sweep in 2024, with Maverick Vinales winning at the Americas GP. All sprint wins bar three have also gone to Ducati.

Pedro Acosta looked set to break Ducati’s stranglehold last time out in Japan, but crashed while leading the sprint and fell from second in the grand prix.

While he admits the Italian brand is “one step forward” than the rest, he doesn’t believe Ducati is as “untouchable” as it seems.

“I said in Japan that they are not unbeatable and they are not as untouchable as everyone - even us - thinks,” Acosta said on Thursday ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

“It’s true they are at a really good level. They are one step forward compared to everyone.

“But we are not so far, or we are not getting so far. For this, we need to keep believing.

“In Mattighofen, they are making awesome work to bring many new things.

“It’s not so easy to take a thing that is working on a MotoGP bike in general, let’s say, and in the last couple of races were using many new things and they are working.

“For this, we need to be open, listen to what the factory and test team are saying, and try to follow their way.”

Reflecting on his Japanese GP of highs and lows, Acosta noted that KTM must take heart in the speed it saw from the 20-year-old.

“Japan was nice, like a dream, but we need to see the positives,” he said.

“You see, for sure, the difference. It was the weekend that I was most competitive in the whole season.

“For this, we need to hold onto this.

“We need to see the progress of the last couple of races and I’m looking forward to riding on this track, that is normally one of my favourite on the calendar.”

Acosta adds: “It’s completely a totally different track compared to Japan.

“I think we are just improving small things, because in the last couple of races many of us were trying many different things: Jack [Miller], the aero, and me these ‘turbo’ wings on the swingarm and all these things.

“We are making small steps. I think more than anything they are solid steps, because maybe at the beginning of the season we were more trying to make many ways and maybe there’s only one way to ride this KTM bike.

“We are finding our way to be fast.”