The upgraded Ducati GP24 has demonstrated remarkable superiority during pre-season testing, with reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia setting record-breaking lap times at Sepang and Losail circuits.
Despite Ducati’s dominance in the opening race of the season, where Bagnaia secured victory, Brad Binder’s second-place finish offers hope that Ducati might face tougher competition in the 2024 MotoGP season.
Aprilia also showed promising performance during the Qatar weekend, with Aleix Espargaro displaying the speed of the RS-GP with a third-place finish in the sprint race, though tire issues hampered his main race performance.
Enea Bastianini, having observed the performance of different bikes from a fifth position at Losail, believes KTM has made significant strides in narrowing the gap to the front with the revamped RC16 in 2024.
Highlighting Binder’s competitive performance during qualifying and races, Bastianini sees KTM as a close rival to Ducati, alongside Aprilia, in the upcoming season.
Despite Binder’s strong showing, he remains cautious about KTM’s progress, acknowledging that Ducati riders might still have a performance advantage to draw upon.