Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia has enjoyed Ducati’s best-ever era in MotoGP since he joined the Italian factory in 2021, but the gap they used to have over the rest of the field is slowly diminishing.
The MotoGP concessions rankings have aided the development opportunities of Ducati’s rival bike manufacturers in recent years, in a bid to minimise the field spread and create closer racing up and down the grid.
With three days of testing for the 2026 premier class campaign now in the books, it’s clear that Ducati still has the edge over their opponents, but it’s also likely that we see more constructors bridge the gap to the Bologna Bullets as the season ensues.
Aprilia proved that they were on the hunt for Ducati’s crown towards the back-end of the 2025 term, with Honda and KTM also making strides in bike development to find themselves in a position to secure a handful of podiums.
This is, of course, cause for concern at Ducati, but there is one constructor in particular that Francesco Bagnaia thinks will prove to be a thorn in the Italian constructor’s side this year.
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Francesco Bagnaia names Aprilia as the MotoGP team that has ‘improved the most’ in recent years
During an interview with GPOne, Bagnaia was asked for his thoughts on the grid’s pecking order following the conclusion of the third and final day at Sepang for the first week of MotoGP testing.
The two-time world champion identified that Ducati have been “limited” with testing opportunities due to their dominance and subsequent concessions ranking, but still sees his Italian factory as the favourite.
He said, “I think it has been the favourite bike since 2021/2022, maybe even earlier. But since I’ve been here, Ducati has always been the most competitive bike for me.
“In 2021, I was a little too inexperienced to think about winning the title, but that was a bike to win with. The other bikes have improved. In my opinion, Aprilia is the one that has improved the most.
“KTM is working well. Honda has improved a lot. Yamaha has embarked on a totally new project, and it hasn’t gone badly.
“Everyone is improving. Ducati is more limited because of the regulations, but it still works hard and knows where to work.”
During their respective launch events for the upcoming premier class campaign, a war of words began between Aprilia and Ducati that may spill over into a heated rivalry if the Noale-based factory can take the fight to them properly this season.
Ducati personnel responded to several jabs that were sent by their Aprilia counterparts, including one that suggested Pedro Acosta would be replacing Bagnaia at Borgo Panigale for 2027.
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Francesco Bagnaia has been linked with an Aprilia move in the 2027 MotoGP rider market
Bagnaia’s comments about Ducati’s main rivals come after the emergence of several rumours that have linked him with a seat at Aprilia for MotoGP’s new era of regulations in 2027.
Following a disappointing 2025 campaign that made him vulnerable for the chop at Ducati, the Italian’s future in Borgo Panigale has a big question mark over it.
Rider agent Alberto Vergani believes Aprilia are Bagnaia’s ‘best option’ if he is forced out of his current seat, due to their proximity to Ducati following years of hard work and a good development trajectory.
Three-time MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo echoed the sentiment more recently, pinpointing how Marco Bezzecchi and Bagnaia would make an Italian dream team at Noale.
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