Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia have emerged as a genuine threat to Ducati’s MotoGP crown this year, and Sylvain Guintoli is under the impression that Borgo Panigale already have an upgrade in the works to combat Noale’s aerodynamic prowess.
Marc Marquez and Ducati’s title-defending 2026 MotoGP campaign got off to a fairly disappointing start in the eyes of the Italian constructor’s recent record in the category.
As Marco Bezzecchi kicked the new term off with a win, Ducati saw its 88-race streak of featuring a bike on the podium come to an end.
A changing of the guard or just a blip to start the season? 🤔
Let us know in the comments below!
On the other hand, Aprilia experienced their most successful race weekend ever, with all four of their bikes claiming a position within the top five finishers at the chequered flag in Buriram.
It’s far too early to tell whether the result in Thailand indicates a changing of the guard in terms of who has the best bike on the grid, and Ducati are looking to re-stamp their authority in MotoGP by potentially introducing an aero upgrade in the coming months.
- READ MORE: Francesco Guidotti says Pecco Bagnaia has helped Ducati hit ‘major goal’ despite tough start to 2026
Ducati were readying an aero upgrade at the Jerez MotoGP test, says Sylvain Guintoli
In a discussion about the recently concluded MotoGP test that took place in Jerez last week, pundit Sylvain Guintoli noted that images of Michele Pirro atop the Ducati prototype indicated that he was testing a new upgrade for the team instead of the 2027 bike.
Speaking on an episode of the Gas It Out podcast, the Frenchman said, “They are still developing the 2026 bike. Even though manufacturers are concentrating on 2027 and the new 850s and the new set of rules, they’re still working on this year’s bike.
Are people overacting to Ducati’s lack of performance at one round?
“The Michele Pirro images that we saw there, he was on Michelin tyres, and it did look like the ride-height device was activated at the exit of the last turn.
“As well, it looked like they had a different aero package. So this looks like more that they were testing for an upgrade. So Ducati, obviously, no concessions, but they are allowed one aero upgrade during the year.
“It was like a mixed test where they had Michelin, but Pirelli was also there, so they would have definitely started testing with Pirelli.
“That said, they’re going to use some specific tyres for MotoGP. So we’re thinking slightly different tyres than what they use currently in World Superbikes and the slicks that they sell commercially as well.”
Aprilia are understood to have the best aerodynamic package on the 2026 MotoGP grid
Aprilia signalled their intentions for 2026 at their launch event for the new spec of RS-GP26 earlier in the year.
Bezzecchi drew attention to the ‘super aggressive’ new fairing that debuted on the 2026-spec prototype, which was understood to be their secret weapon against Ducati’s dominance in the power unit side of things.
Then, during pre-season testing, it came to light that Aprilia had introduced an F1-style f-duct onto the RS-GP26, an innovation that was banned in the premier class of single-seater motor racing due to safety issues.
The Italian constructor has seemingly come up with a suitable workaround for the concerns, and was one of the leading factors that aided Bezzecchi’s victory at the Buriram International Circuit at the start of March.
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