Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia’s dominance at the Thailand Grand Prix has left Ducati in doubt about whether they are still the top manufacturer.
The Borgo Panigale outfit has been utterly dominated in MotoGP since the turn of the decade, winning every title since 2020. Ducati have also won the last four riders’ championships, with Marc Marquez clinching the 2025 title with 25 wins, including Sprint races.
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But last year exposed a weakness for Ducati, as the GP25 was a clear regression from the GP24, which won 16 races in 2024. After Marquez’s crash in Indonesia, Ducati scored just two points in his absence as Francesco Bagnaia struggled to perform and Aprilia surged forward.
Marco Bezzecchi won the final two races in 2025, commanding the field in Portugal and Valencia. It was a sign that Aprilia had closed the gap to Ducati, and after the 2026 season opener, they may have jumped ahead of them.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Aprilia from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy
Ducati have ‘doubts’ about being ‘one step ahead’ and if Aprilia have overtaken them in MotoGP
Bezzecchi dominated the Thailand Grand Prix, claiming victory from pole position and leading every lap. All four Aprilias were in the top five, with Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez finishing third behind the KTM of Pedro Acosta.
Defending champion Marquez was battling for a podium until his rear rim exploded while hitting the kerb at turn four on lap 21. He was forced to retire, with Fabio Di Giannantonio being the highest-ranked Desmosedici at the Thailand GP in sixth.
Has Ducati’s dominance in MotoGP finally come to an end?
Davide Tardozzi privately praised Aprilia for their performance as Ducati finished 16 seconds behind Bezzecchi. Such a result has now created ‘doubts’ within the Borgo Panigale outfit about whether they are ‘one step ahead’ of the field, according to a report from DAZN.
The team are worried that their Italian rivals have overtaken them in terms of performance. There is only one race in 2026 to base things off thus far, but Ducati were clearly not on Aprilia’s level in Buriram.
So much so that even Bagnaia admitted that Ducati were no longer the fastest bike on the grid. He believes Aprilia have taken a step forward with the RS-GP, which he might be happy about, given that Bagnaia will join Aprilia from 2027.
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