Neil Hodgson shares the ‘talk in the paddock’ about stability control hurting Ducati at Austrian Grand Prix

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MotoGP have introduced the first version of a stability control system at the Austrian Grand Prix, which has led to discussions on how it might affect the current pecking order.

The issue of bike stability has been present across a number of teams in the premier class throughout the 2025 season.

Marco Bezzecchi ‘struggled’ with it on his Aprilia at the Qatar GP earlier in the year, citing that he had to sacrifice power for stability in the set-up of his RS-GP25, which left him feeling like a sitting duck in the latter stages of the race.

The team have made strides to fix the issue as the season has progressed, leading some to believe Jorge Martin returned to a different Aprilia bike on his return to the grid in Brno.

Ducati have clearly got the biggest advantage over the other bikes on the grid this season, with their GP-25 carrying Marc Marquez to eight victories so far this term, and his teammate Francesco Bagnaia to one at Silverstone.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Aprilia from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

Neil Hodgson is sceptical about ‘every other manufacturer’ benefiting from MotoGP’s new tool

Speaking during TNT Sports’ coverage of FP1 in Spielberg, Neil Hodgson cast his doubts over what he has heard within the MotoGP paddock regarding which teams the new system will help the most.

“The talk in the paddock is, ‘Oh, this is going to help every other manufacturer.’ It’s not,” Hodgson asserted (09:49 15/08). “It’s no different. It’s because everyone’s got the same tools to play with.

“If anything, if it’s something new, Ducati will probably get to grips with how to get the most out of it quicker, because they’ve got more bikes and faster riders. It’s not going to change anything.”

The Italian constructor currently supplies the most teams out of all of the constructors on the grid, with two satellite teams in Gresini Racing and VR46 under their wings.

Franco Morbidelli responded to rumours of Ducati fielding six identical bikes next season, stating that he is itching to have a go on the GP-25 despite not having a seat locked in for 2026.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Ducati from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

Sylvain Guintoli sees it as a ‘good opportunity’ for other teams to catch up to Ducati

In contrast to Hodgson’s comments about the new tool not having any effect on the current hierarchy, Sylvain Guintoli clarified how teams could possibly utilise it in a way which could see them catch up to Ducati in the remaining races of the season.

“It’s a new strategy that’s been given to the teams to try and control the slides of the bikes,” Guintoli explained. “It’s a different way to control the rear traction of the bikes, and it’s something that’s been made available to all the teams. So everybody’s got the same ECU.

“A single ECU, and that controls the traction control, the engine braking strategy and so on. Essentially, with MotoGP, you’ve got way too much power, very little grip and contact patch for the power and the torque available, and you’ve got to make the bike efficient.

“The efficiency is what matters. Ducati is king at this, and that new tool could allow the other manufacturers to catch up. So it’s a good opportunity for all the manufacturers and all the teams to try and improve the traction.”

The change doesn’t seem to have had an immediate effect on the performance of the bikes, with Ducati’s Marquez and Bagnaia setting the two fastest laps of FP1, respectively.