The upgraded Ducati GP24 appeared to be head-and-shoulders clear of the competition in pre-season testing last month, as reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia set record-breaking pace at both Sepang and Losail circuits.
While there was no stopping Ducati in the opening grand prix of the season either as Bagnaia stormed to victory from fifth on the grid, Binder’s second-place finish gave some hope that the Italian marque won’t have it so easy in the 2024 MotoGP season.
Aprilia also looked rapid at various stages of the Qatar weekend, with Aleix Espargaro in particular showing the speed of the RS-GP with third in the sprint, before tyre issues wrecked his chances of repeating that result in the main race.
Bastianini, who was able to see how different bikes compared to each other at Losail from further down the field in fifth, thinks KTM has managed to close the gap to the front with the revamped version of the RC16 in 2024.
“Ducati now is a reference of all the factories and KTM is really close to Ducati now because we have seen Brad competitive in the grand prix and also the sprint,” said the Italian.
“I think the KTM factory can be close, with Aprilia, as rivals of us for this year.”
Source: Autosport