What Ducati launch host wasn’t allowed to say about their 2026 MotoGP bike

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Ducati lifted the cover of the GP26 and its new livery at Madonna di Campiglio on Monday, with all of the team’s key figures present.

Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia unveiled the new design of the 2026 Desmosedici. The bike features a more matte red colour with white stripes to commemorate Ducati’s 100th anniversary.

During the event, it was reported that Marquez signed his new Ducati contract. He is said to have put pen to paper on a two-year deal, taking him up until 2028.

MotoGP fans are loving Ducati’s new livery, and it will soon hit the tarmac in a shakedown session with Michele Pirro at the end of the month. But the Borgo Panigale outfit will be hoping to continue their dominance with it, rather than it simply looking good.

Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali wouldn’t let Gavin Emmett say that the GP26 should be ‘faster’

That was one statement that Ducati launch host and MotoGP commentator Gavin Emmett was not allowed to say during the presentation.

Speaking on the Paddock Pass Podcast, he stated that the new bike has to be ‘quicker’, but he revealed that Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali would not let him say it. This was out of ‘superstition’ after the events of 2004.

“Yeah, it’s like a bit deeper, isn’t it?” said Emmett. “Yeah, centenary red. They’ve got 100 years of celebrating for Ducati and I think it looks good. I like the go faster stripe, I’m a big fan of it.

“A bike’s got to be quicker. I had a chat with Claudio Domenicali though, and he wouldn’t let me say that, out of superstition after the 2004 bike wasn’t fast enough, when it looked good. He said: ‘Superstition, I can’t say this’. But I think I think it looks good, the matte finish as well.”

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

How did Ducati do in the 2004 season?

Ducati joined MotoGP in 2003, with Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss as their first rider line-up. The duo finished fourth and sixth, respectively, with the former grabbing the team’s first win in Barcelona.

Ducati were second in the manufacturers’ standings, highlighting a successful debut campaign. For 2004, they sported a large white strip across the red bike, similar to what the GP26 features.

But while the machine looks brilliant, its performance was not. The GP4 was a regression from its predecessor, with Capirossi and Bayliss grabbing one podium each.

Capirossi salvaged a top-10 finish in the standings, while Bayliss retired from half of the races. Given the poor results of 2004, it’s no wonder that Domenicali is a bit cautious when it comes to the GP26.