Carlo Pernat labels Marco Bezzecchi as a ‘stratospheric’ rival for Ducati after the opening Grand Prix.
The opening Grand Prix of the 2026 MotoGP season did not go how Ducati would have expected it to, as Aprilia and Marco Bezzecchi dominated proceedings.
After crashing from the lead in the Sprint Race on Saturday, there was no stopping Bezzecchi on Sunday as he was untouched during the Grand Prix.
Aprilia completed an ‘unforgettable’ Sunday as all four of their riders finished inside the top five, with Raul Fernandez in third, Jorge Martin in fourth, and Ai Ogura in fifth.
Pedro Acosta leads the championship for the first time in his career after his P2 in Thailand. Will he be a genuine contender this season?
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Carlo Pernat says Aprilia’s Thailand dominance was a ‘real slap’ for Ducati
MotoGP agent, Carlo Pernat, gave his thoughts on the opening race of the season to GPOne, as he labelled Bezzecchi as ‘stratospheric’.
The Italian went on to state that he believes Bezzecchi will be ‘the only antagonist’ for Ducati throughout the 2026 season.
Finally, he commented on Aprilia’s 1-3-4-5 finish, and said it was ‘a real slap for Ducati’ as they failed to get a rider on the podium.
Pernat said, “An unforgettable Sunday for Aprilia, because it is the first time that they put all these riders in the top five. A stratospheric Bezzecchi, who, as we have said before, is the only antagonist, a true antagonist, for Ducati.
“Martin also had a good race; despite practically not racing for a year, he was among the leaders. You can see that the bike is a great bike, which may have even made the satellite team go faster, with Ogura and Raul Fernandez.
“It was a real slap for Ducati.”
A changing of the guard or just a blip to start the season? 🤔
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Francesco Bagnaia believes Ducati are not the fastest ‘anymore’
Because Marc Marquez failed to finish the Thailand Grand Prix on Sunday, there were no Ducati riders inside the top five.
This was the first time since the British Grand Prix in 2021 that Ducati did not have a rider on a Grand Prix podium, meaning their 88 Grand Prix run of getting a rider on the podium came to an end.
The top Ducati at the end of the opening Grand Prix was the VR46 rider, Fabio di Giannantonio who ended the day in sixth place.
After the Thai Grand Prix, Francesco Bagnaia stated that ‘Ducati are not the fastest anymore’, as his struggles continued as he ended up in ninth place.
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