Philipp Öttl on a neutered Ducati: far less power than Bulega had back then

Twelve riders will be racing a Ducati Panigale V2 in the 2026 Supersport World Championship, some of them top riders in outstanding teams. At Donington Park, Philipp Öttl finished sixth and ninth, making him the best-placed Ducati rider on one occasion and the second-best on the other. In the overall standings, his team-mate Jaume Masia is in third place, whilst the South German is sixth.

Only five of the 16 races so far have been won on a Ducati: three by Masia and one each by Öttl and Alessandro Zaccone. Gone are the days when the Bologna-based manufacturer set the standard; Yamaha and ZX Moto have now taken on that role. And this weekend in England, it was Triumph. However, this is not down to the fundamental competitiveness of the Ducati, but rather to the current Balance of Performance.

Öttl: “Then you have to ease off the throttle”

“The results aren’t bad; everyone’s right up there together,” said Philipp in a one-on-one interview with SPEEDWEEK.com, referring to his 6th and 9th-place finishes at the Donington Park Circuit. “It was difficult; it started as early as qualifying. My ideal lap time would easily have been enough for the top six, but when there’s a yellow flag on every lap and you have to ease off the throttle – I was happy to come away with tenth place. In the warm-ups I was fourth and fifth; that was our pace.”

We’re only at 70 per cent throttle opening now, so not much power is getting through.

Philipp Öttl on his Ducati

The 30-year-old continued: “The Ducatis are severely restricted; we have neither good top speed nor strong acceleration. On Saturday, there was only one Ducati in the top ten; on Sunday, there were two. Why did Yamaha get concessions, even though they’re leading the Riders’ and Constructors’ Championships, whilst they’re taking something away from us? I don’t understand how they decide these things; we can’t even stay on their tail. If we start at the front, we ride at the front. But we don’t get into a position where we can overtake anyone. We have to wait for an opponent to make a mistake to get into that position. I’ve got a fast, good Ducati and I know I’m not riding badly. I’m not normally satisfied with sixth and ninth places, but I have to be satisfied because I didn’t ride badly and everything went well.”

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What goal has Öttl set himself for the final third of the season, when racing resumes in France in early September following the almost eight-week summer break? “Last year we got off to a really bad start due to the injury but finished strongly and ended up sixth,” reflected the Ainringer rider. “The aim would be to do better. But if they restrict the bike the way they’re doing now – we’re getting the absolute maximum out of it under these rules and are only left with 70 per cent throttle opening. There’s not much power coming through anymore. When Bulega was riding, he had 83 per cent opening; he was at times unbelievably fast on the straights. But none of that’s left now – it’s all gone.”