Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia proved that in the absence of Marc Marquez, they are the manufacturer to beat in MotoGP for the time being.
Marco Bezzecchi claimed victory in the last two races of the season, on his way to securing a second top-three finish in the riders’ standings of his career.
His Indonesian Grand Prix shunt with Marquez was both unfortunate and unintentional, but left his rival battling a concerning injury for the remainder of 2025.
Encouragingly, an Aprilia bike won three of the four Grands Prix on offer without him competing, suggesting that their bike is capable of taking the fight to Ducati on a regular basis.
Jorge Lorenzo was impressed by Bezzecchi and how he handled a test day when the two once shared the Misano circuit together.
Dani Pedrosa called Bezzecchi a ‘surprise’ and didn’t expect him to fare so well as his team’s new leader in the absence of Jorge Martin.
READ MORE: Marco Bezzecchi answers ‘without a doubt’ if he’s now at the same level as Marc Marquez
Marco Bezzecchi and Aprilia are more than ready to challenge Marc Marquez for the 2026 title
Massimo Rivola is ‘very confident’ in Bezzecchi and has backed his new star rider to achieve big things in 2026.
He has led their development efforts recently, and after starting the season struggling to muster a top-five finish, was in contention for podiums at every event by the end of the year.
There are a number of reasons why Bezzecchi is now ready to challenge Marquez for a title, and the most obvious is that it appears he has the bike to do so.
It feels like not long ago, Aprilia had the worst bike. Overall, it’s hard to say they’re definitely the best now, but at high-speed circuits, they are the favourites.
Ducati’s lack of preparation also means that they will be on the back foot when it comes to preparing their next bike. Without Marquez’s data at the post-season test, they’ll be left guessing a bit.
While Aprilia can be excited about the prospect of 2024 champion Martin returning to the track and top form in 2026, Ducati have reason to be worried about their second rider, Francesco Bagnaia.
If he can’t back Marquez up in the fight at the top, then it could be a long season for Ducati. With the MotoGP rider market looming large, there’s a good chance that line-ups will change if anyone has a bad year.
READ MORE: Sylvain Guintoli pinpoints what Marco Bezzecchi did ‘perfectly’ to win the Portugal Grand Prix
Marco Bezzecchi has more than Marc Marquez to worry about in 2026
Bezzecchi admitted calling Marquez a friend would be ‘stupid’ and the two do have a bit of a strained past together.
Their relationship has improved in recent times, but as title-contending rivals in the future, expect the gloves to be off in any fight.
Other riders can’t be ignored either, with the likes of Pedro Acosta on the KTM hoping for some meaningful additions to his bike.
If Martin finds a way of getting back to his best, he can challenge for another championship, too, but he’s starting from further back. His teammate has a lot more experience on the Aprilia, which will be handy.
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