Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia’s emergence as the dominant manufacturer during Marc Marquez and Ducati’s title-defending 2026 MotoGP campaign has led Carlo Pernat to brand the Bologna Bullets as ‘lucky’ because of the Qatar GP’s postponement.
Marco Bezzecchi made history at the United States GP, with his victory on Sunday marking the first time that an Aprilia rider has won five consecutive Grands Prix.
The rout saw him retake the lead in the standings from Noale teammate Jorge Martin, as Aprilia now enjoy a 32-point lead at the top of the constructors’ championship.
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Ducati, on the other hand, are experiencing their worst spell in MotoGP since the start of the current decade.
After six straight seasons of dominance in the constructors’ standings, the most recent race weekend may be the biggest indication yet that the Italian constructor have finally been dethroned.
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Carlo Pernat says there has now been a ‘real shift’ in MotoGP following Aprilia’s emergence
In an interview with GPOne following the conclusion of the United States Grand Prix, renowned rider agent Carlo Pernat offered his thoughts on Ducati after Aprilia dominated the proceedings yet again.
He said, “The litmus test was the United States Grand Prix in Austin. A track where Marc Marquez has always won, except when he fell last year.
“A track where Ducati, on its home turf, has always dominated. But this time, in the third race of the season, Aprilia came through and took first and second.
“They could’ve even taken third, because the podium would’ve been all Aprilia without Ogura’s technical issue. After also winning the Sprint with Martin.
“This is a strong signal. It’s a real shift in the world championship.”
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As the ‘King of COTA’, Marquez was widely expected to regain his world-beating form and add a record eighth victory at the circuit to his tally.
However, the Spaniard saw red in the Sprint race and crashed out during an incident with Fabio Di Giannantonio.
The resulting Long Lap Penalty severely hindered his Grand Prix, where he claimed P5 after dropping down to 11th.
Carlo Pernat explains why Ducati are ‘lucky’ that the Qatar GP was postponed
The Italian continued with his assessment of Ducati’s downward trajectory, identifying the postponement of what would have been the upcoming Qatar GP as a stroke of luck for engineers in Borgo Panigale.
He added, “Perhaps Ducati is also lucky that we’re not heading straight to Qatar, because there would’ve been very little time to react. Here, the problem is serious. Bezzecchi was out of this world.
“A confident Marco, sure of his abilities, aware that he has a bike built together with the team. And when there’s harmony in a team, when there’s joy, you get results.
“You can really see the atmosphere. You can see that everything is working.”
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