Last weekend’s British MotoGP marked the 10th round of a 20-round calendar in 2024.
At halftime, we considered which manufacturers could keep up.
The concession rules revised this year gave the struggling Honda and Yamaha greater opportunities to further develop their projects and accelerate their comeback.
But Ducati, which has the most riders on the grid, continues to dominate.
Could there be a surprise among Ducati’s closest competitors?
As the second half of the 2024 season begins, we rank the manufacturers’ seasons so far.
We gave the grade not only based on results, but also took into account mitigating circumstances such as bike specification and expectations.
Ducati – Grade: A+
While Ducati’s partial monopoly on the grid has certainly helped, Ducati’s form in 2024 was a prime example of why it is considered a benchmark in MotoGP.
With the top four places in the overall standings, winning all but one of the top ten Grand Prix and seven sprints, it will be almost impossible for the others to beat Ducati by the end of 2024.
The result is boosted by the fact that Gigi Dall’Igna has taken a bigger step than expected with the GP24, showing that complacency is not an issue at Ducati.
Aprilia – Grade: B-
Aprilia deserves credit for being the only manufacturer to beat Ducati in race wins in 2024, thanks to Maverick Vinales’ sprint win in Portugal and his Grand Prix success in the Americas, as well as Aleix Espargaro’s victory on Saturday in Barcelona.
But Ducati has clearly not been able to match last year’s form as one would expect, and halfway through the season there even seems to be a regression.
With much of its stable leaving the team at the end of 2024, Aprilia has little time to correct course before it must attempt to develop a competitive package for 2025 around a new group of riders.
KTM – Grade: C
With all due respect to KTM, their overall rating as a manufacturer is so high thanks to Pedro Acosta’s superstar form and the consistency of Brad Binder.
A handful of podium finishes are not the expected haul from a manufacturer that was close to winning Grand Prix races in 2023 and was able to take a few sprint victories.
Based on the first half of the season, KTM is relying on Acosta and Binder to deliver top results, but will need to push the development further in the final ten rounds.
Yamaha – Grade: D+
While there hasn’t been much to celebrate for Yamaha in 2024, the behind-the-scenes personnel changes and the change in philosophy regarding motorcycle development are showing positive signs.
Fabio Quartararo’s masterful speed has almost certainly helped make the M1 look a little better than it actually is.
But the development has been solid, and it is commendable that Yamaha managed to do this with only two motorcycles at the start.
Honda – Grade: F
Everything Yamaha is currently doing, Honda simply cannot do.
Although HRC has some very strong riders in Johann Zarco and Joan Mir who can achieve better results if the bike allows it, the team has so far made little progress in its quest to move up the field.
While Yamaha is a little more cautious when selecting components for its motorcycles – which has not always helped riders – Honda remains too cautious.
Hopes of heading into 2025 with a lot of momentum depend on Honda making strong progress in the final ten rounds.
