Marco Bezzecchi
Luigi Dall’Igna and Davide Tardozzi privately think Aprilia have ‘greatly benefited’ from Michelin’s special tyre casing at the start of the 2026 MotoGP season. Ducati’s status as the benchmark in MotoGP is under greater threat than ever.
Marco Bezzecchi has won the opening two rounds in dominant fashion and, stretching back to the end of last season, his streak has reached four in a row. Bezzecchi is 11 points clear of teammate Jorge Martin in the standings, 19 ahead of top Ducati Fabio Di Giannantonio and 22 clear of reigning champion Marc Marquez.
Marquez has gone consecutive races without a podium for the first time since the Thailand and Malaysia GPs at the end of the 2024 season. He did win the Brazil Sprint, but Aprilia reasserted themselves with a Sunday one-two.
Marco Bezzecchi becomes the first Aprilia rider to win four races in a row 🏆🏆🏆🏆
Is he a serious contender for the 2026 title now?
Ducati bosses suspect that Aprilia advantage may be down to tyres
Michelin have brought a harder rear tyre casing to the first two rounds of the season to cope with the extreme temperatures. Ducati have struggled with these compounds in the past.
And according to El Periodico, Dall’Igna and Tardozzi have been heard suggesting that the temporary change has ‘greatly benefited’ Aprilia at the opening two rounds.
They are still ‘concerned’ by the ‘ease’ of Aprilia’s victories, but they do at least have a potential explanation.
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Francesco Bagnaia has said Aprilia have overtaken Ducati, but there’s hope at Borgo Panigale that the growing hype around Massimo Rivola’s team will die down after some more conventional races.
The Americas GP is regarded as a ‘litmus test’ for Marquez given his supreme track record at the circuit. If Aprilia can beat him in Austin, a degree of panic might start to set in at Ducati HQ.
Marc Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio comparison should trigger alarm bells at Ducati
Even Aprilia ambassador Max Biaggi still says Marquez is the title favourite, rather than Bezzecchi, though it’s common for teams to play down expectations and shift the pressure onto their rivals.
Ducati are readying an upgrade for Jerez next month, and Aprilia will likely be doing the same. The pecking order doesn’t tend to be set in stone until the European season begins.
But Ducati can’t afford to underestimate their problems. The fact that Di Giannantonio beat Marquez in qualifying should raise alarm bells because it suggests that the #93 still isn’t entirely comfortable on the bike.
Ordinarily, Marquez’s status as the top Ducati would almost be guaranteed.
And on the other side of the garage, Francesco Bagnaia’s crisis has continued. The winter reset and change of machinery weren’t enough to alter Bagnaia’s course: he is 13th in the championship after two rounds.
Even if Marquez is able to wrestle back control of the riders’ championship, Aprilia are rapidly becoming favourites for the teams’ title.
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