Dani Pedrosa spotted ‘stealthily’ spying on Marc Marquez’s Ducati bike at Austrian Grand Prix

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Dani Pedrosa may not have made any wildcard appearances for KTM this year, but he continues to take an active role in the project. He remains part of the behind-the-scenes test team, along with Pol Espargaro.

Pedrosa mixes his KTM responsibilities with a punditry role for Spanish broadcaster DAZN. But at the Austrian Grand Prix, he was very much in engineer mode.

The Spaniard will no doubt be having flashbacks to his time at Honda as Marc Marquez crushes the field. He watched the Ant of Cervera win a record-breaking 13 races en route to the 2014 title.

Marquez needs another six wins in the final 10 races, starting in Austria, to beat that record. His 168-point advantage over Francesco Bagnaia is comparable to the 2018 season, when he cleared a retiring Pedrosa by over 200.

Dani Pedrosa catches a cunning glimpse of Marc Marquez’s Ducati on KTM’s behalf

DAZN have noticed that Pedrosa ‘didn’t hesitate for a moment’ to examine rivals’ bikes. KTM have made clear progress in recent races but are the only manufacturer without a pole position or victory this season.

Pedro Acosta did at least end their podium drought in Brno just before the summer break. And he followed that up with another third place in the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint.

KTM certainly aren’t lacking in engine power, but the Ducati aerodynamics remain the class of the field. On Saturday, Pedrosa was spotted ‘stealthily’ leaning on the wall between the Gresini and Ducati garages so he could ‘closely study’ Marquez’s GP25.

He will no doubt report his findings back to the engineers in the Austrian team’s garage. The KTM factory squad are the leading non-Ducati operation in the standings (fourth place), and they also sit second in the constructors’.

KTM have suggested a MotoGP rule change that Ducati will not like

KTM believe they have the best strength in depth of any MotoGP team. While Acosta is the emerging superstar, their other three riders boast a combined 12 premier-class victories and 64 podiums.

Brad Binder has largely struggled this season, while Enea Bastianini is showing signs of improvement after a poor start. Maverick Vinales has been helping Acosta and pushing him on track.

With Pedrosa and Espargaro also part of the team’s ranks, Acosta couldn’t ask for a stronger network around him. Still, he’s naturally impatient at KTM’s limited progress in the pursuit of Ducati.

In an attempt to put each team on a level playing field, KTM’s CEO suggested an F1-style cost cap. That would suit the lower-spending brands (like themselves and Aprilia), but they’re likely to meet strong opposition from Ducati and potentially the Japanese manufacturers too.