Former MotoGP team manager Francesco Guidotti has downplayed concerns about Ducati’s performance at the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix, saying the result should not be viewed as a major setback for the Italian manufacturer.
At the Buriram International Circuit, Ducati saw one of its weakest results in years, ending an 88-race streak of top-three finishes. Rivals Aprilia filled four of the top five positions in the race, with Marco Bezzecchi taking victory.
Despite this outcome, Guidotti, who previously led Pramac Ducati and the factory KTM team and now works as a MotoGP analyst for Sky Italia, said the result looks worse only in comparison to Ducati’s recent dominance. “Of course, the Thailand GP looks like a huge disaster for Ducati but only compared to the past,” he told Speedweek.com. “Realistically speaking, an outcome like the Thailand GP is rather normal and, in my view, not a drama for Ducati.”
Guidotti credited Aprilia for a strong performance and noted that Bezzecchi seems particularly suited to the harder rear tyre construction used at Thailand. He also highlighted positive signs from Ducati’s other riders. According to Guidotti, VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli showed competitive pace despite issues during the race.
Looking specifically at Ducati’s factory riders, Guidotti suggested Marc Marquez would likely have secured a podium if not for late wheel damage and called Francesco Bagnaia’s performance “a question mark” but not a cause for alarm, stating that Bagnaia demonstrated good pace during winter testing.
With the next round of the 2026 MotoGP season scheduled to take place in Goiania, Brazil, Guidotti’s comments frame Ducati’s early-season challenge as a normal fluctuation rather than a deeper technical problem.
