Aprilia have now decided to ‘take a leaf’ from Marc Marquez’s book with their Ducati-beating bike

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Marc Marquez’s absence from MotoGP’s post-season test hands an advantage to his rivals ahead of the 2026 season.

The seven-time champion will be on the back foot when he begins his title defence next year, placing an even bigger emphasis on Ducati’s data from the test. They will have to rely on feedback from Francesco Bagnaia and Michele Pirro to sway the direction their next bike takes.

Marquez, who dominated and returned to some of his best form in 2025, will be very aware that his rivals have closed the gap and are closer than ever. That includes Aprilia, who may even have the fastest bike on the grid at high-speed circuits now.

Nicolo Bulega isn’t ‘enjoying’ replacing Marquez due to the demands of having to do so. He’s having to adapt a lot to be quick. Before joining Ducati, Marquez feared for his MotoGP future. Even now that he’s sidelined for a while, his position feels about as secure as it ever has.

READ MORE: Pedro Acosta has now addressed one of Ducati’s concerns about pairing him with Marc Marquez

Aprilia have decided to ‘take a leaf’ from Marc Marquez’s book with new environment

Michele Pirro thinks Bagnaia will ‘battle’ Marquez next year, and has tipped him to return to his form of old. The team may need him to be at his best again if they want to win all the titles that they have this year. They cannot be operating a one-man team.

Bagnaia has realised Marquez was right about the GP25 this season after getting the chance to try and copy his style a few weeks ago. It worked well enough for him to break multiple records with very little competition this year.

And now Peter Bom thinks that Aprilia are copying part of the Spaniard’s approach as they attempt to build a bike that can beat Ducati. They’ve shown multiple glimpses of promise this year, and they’re building some strong momentum heading into 2026 with recent victories.

“Marc is the guy, at first, pushes you, stimulates you to come up with something, and we’ll give it a go and don’t smash your face if it doesn’t work,” he said. “He creates an environment that stimulates thinking out the box and digging a little bit deeper.

“That’s something that everybody could take a leaf from that book. And I think some people are already trying, and definitely Aprilia is doing that already. They look at that sort of stuff.”

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Why is Marc Marquez’s absence going to impact Ducati’s preparation for 2026?

Having to cope with Marquez’s absence is going to be tricky for Ducati, who must find a way to tend to his needs without him being around.

The lack of meaningful data could leave them guessing with the GP26, which is expected to be a mix of the best parts between the GP24 and GP25.

Marquez has ‘demoralised’ Bagnaia at Ducati, and now is the time for the team to make sure they can produce a machine that both riders can have confidence in.

If they start poorly next year, not only do they risk failing to retain their championships, but they might also have to delve into the MotoGP rider market for the new regulations in 2027.