At 366.1 km/h, Brad Binder set a new top speed record for MotoGP in Mugello. The KTM rider was measured with this value in the sprint. “I had a very good slipstream,” says the South African. “It’s pretty fast – impressive!”
“You only realize that when you get to the apex of the first corner. You brake in the same place, but you’re much faster. The braking point with and without slipstream varies by ten meters. You have to consider that.”
In addition to the slipstream, did the aerodynamic development also help for this value? “Certainly,” says Binder. “That’s what it’s there for and it works. Every year we’re getting faster. I’m also sure that we’ll get even faster. That’s progress in racing.”
In comparison, Formula 1 was significantly slower in 2020, when Mugello was driven once. In the race, the then Williams-Mercedes driver George Russell was measured as the fastest driver on the straight at 329.5 km/h.
How MotoGP has developed over the past two decades can be seen in the numbers. Mugello is a good reference for this because the track layout is unchanged. In 2002 the modern era of four-stroke motorcycles began.
At that time, Tohru Ukawa was measured with the five-cylinder Honda at 324.5 km/h. 20 years ago in 2003, Valentino Rossi (Honda)’s pole position time was 1:51.927 minutes. This beat his record of 1:51.258 minutes from the previous year.
Ten years later, Dani Pedrosa’s (Honda) pole position time was 1:47.157 minutes. That was a new lap record at the time. In 2023, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) raced to pole in 1:44.855 minutes, setting the current lap record.
These numbers underline how rapidly MotoGP has developed. “I’m old,” laughs Aleix Espargaro, “and I remember that it was difficult to go under 1:50 minutes with the CRT bikes and Open bikes on Friday.”
“Now I was eighth in qualifying with 1:45.3. That’s the level of MotoGP. The speed is crazy. That’s why we see so many injuries because you crash at high speeds.”
Every technology evolves
When Bagnaia hears the lap time of 1:51 from twenty years ago, he says: “That’s the same lap time I do training on the Panigale. It shows that it’s an incredible bike.”
He’s not surprised that MotoGP bikes are getting faster and faster: “Every year Ducati and the other manufacturers work to improve. The world is evolving. Technology is improving a lot.”
“That’s why it’s normal to see such progress over 20 years. It’s not just about motorcycles. You just have to look at mobile phones from 20 years ago and now. Now all that’s missing is that they can also make coffee.”
Johann Zarco agrees with this opinion, who makes another comparison: “You only have to compare the bikes from 1983 with 2003. It’s 20 years of development. The difference between 1983 and 2003 is maybe even bigger.”
“Everything has become much more precise since 2003. That’s why we can drive at this speed. It’s become more difficult for us drivers because it’s no longer about seconds, but about tenths of a second or even less.”
In addition, the sport as a whole has become more professional. “The level of the drivers has also increased,” states Jorge Martin. “We train a lot. When you come to the first practice session, we already know everything. We have racing pace from the first lap. It’s incredible. It will never stop. You improve day after day and year after year.”
In principle, the technical regulations will remain unchanged until the end of 2026. Discussions are currently underway as to what changes will be made for the period 2027-2032. There are signs of a ban on ride-height systems. From 2027, 100 percent synthetic fuel will also be used. However, test bench tests have not shown any significant loss of performance.