Alex Lowes has admitted a potential Bimota satellite team “could be good” in its bid to chase down Ducati in WorldSBK.
Bimota has emerged as arguably the nearest challenger to Ducati given its fast start to the 2026 campaign so far, which saw it take three podiums in the opening round at Phillip Island.
However, the Italian manufacturer struggled in Portimao which has seen the gap to Ducati already increase to 84 points – with further expectations that Nicolo Bulega could spend the entire season unchallenged at the front.
One of the keys to Ducati’s dominance is to do with the number of satellite teams it has on the current WorldSBK grid, boasting seven teams and nine bikes while Bimota only has its two factory machines to collect data from.
Lowes believes Bimota could benefit from its own satellite team, but emphasised it’s not his job to decide.
“Yeah, of course. Could be good if it’s done properly with good support,” Lowes told media, including Motorsport Week, in Portimao.
“I think it can always be good to have more bikes on the grid. Axel and I we’re similar [in] helping each other a lot, and that’s already helping.
“I would love to see more of the motors on the grid, but it’s not my job.”
However, any bid to get more bikes on the grid would have to be passed by MotoGPSEG, who decide on the maximum number of machines.
Lowes admits he thinks it would be a “positive for everyone” to have more intra-team competition.
However, he again stressed it is something out of his control.
“You want to beat your teammate? Or, let’s say, a satellite round. Of course you do.
“You want to be the first Bimota, but you want them to do well as well because you want the team to be as competitive as possible, push each other, and I think this is positive for everyone.
“So if there are more bikes on the grid from the same manufacturer, I think you can help each other, but it’s not my job [to facilitate the satellite team].”
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