MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

WorldSBK 2026 is Ducati territory, so for MotoMatters.com subscribers and supporters, Steve English looked at how data sharing is helping the Bologna manufacturer as they adapt to a new bike this season. Nicolo Bulega is dominating, Yari Montella is impressing while Alberto Surra's strong results also prove just how successful Ducati has been.

The further into the 2026 WorldSBK season we go the harder it becomes to find new ways to explain Nicolo Bulega’s supremacy. Five rounds in, fifteen wins on the board, and the Italian’s supremacy at each round is now almost inevitable. Each weekend feels less like a battle for victory and more like a showcase of why Ducati’s leading man simply can’t be ignored for a MotoGP seat next year.

Somewhere amid the crashes, controversy and anxious waits over riders’ health, a major MotoGP story took shape on Sunday. Fabio Di Giannantonio won his first race in 910 days, lifting himself in to title contention. Not for the first time in 2026, the Italian’s reliable excellence was somewhat overlooked.

On most normal Sundays, the headlines would have reflected the valour of his second ever win in the class. Yet the 27-year old was the first to acknowledge Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco’s wellbeing was of much greater importance.

One of Di Giannantonio’s most impressive feats was almost lost in the noise of those incidents, plus the clashes between Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez plus Ai Ogura and Pedro Acosta.

Recovering from a poor start, he fought through from fifth to reel in the lead KTM with just over two laps to play. The feat was all the more remarkable considering the Italian was the rider that came closest to being wiped out by the remnants of Marquez’s exploding Ducati on that terrifying run down to Turn 10 which was more aircraft wreckage than motorcycle race.

Amid all the chaos and carnage of the Barcelona round of MotoGP, adding insult to injury was the fact that of the seventeen finishers, six were investigated for being under the minimum tire pressure. Though Pecco Bagnaia was eventually cleared - his wheel rim was found to be leaking, though at what rate we do not know - Toprak Razgatlioglu, Raul Fernandez, Joan Mir, Alex Rins, and Jack Miller were all handed a 16-second penalty.

For Razgatlioglu, Fernandez, Rins, and Miller, the penalties did not make a vast amount of difference. Rins dropped from eleventh to fourteenth, Miller from fourteenth, Razgatlioglu dropped out of the points from fifteenth to sixteenth, and Raul Fernandez had already lost so much time in his collision with Jorge Martin on the opening lap of the third attempt to start the race that he was already out of the points.

The final official test of the 1000cc era was something of a damp squib. Literally: the rain held off until around 1pm, at which point it became torrential, chasing everyone into the pits, and eventually out of the paddock and off toward Mugello for the following round. There was not all that much to test, as the manufacturers shift their focus to the 850cc machines they will contest the 2027 MotoGP championship on under new technical regulations.

The Barcelona MotoGP test was also the last test of 2026 that will be held in public. The switch of tire suppliers from Michelin to Pirelli creates an awkward situation commercially. Michelin are paying a lot of money for the privilege of being official tire supplier to MotoGP, and don't want another tire manufacturer stealing their thunder.