Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola thinks Jorge Martin has a “big advantage” in the 2026 title fight, as Marco Bezzecchi is the one under “pressure” to become a MotoGP champion.
The Noale outfit have yet to ever win a MotoGP title since Aprilia split from Gresini to create a works team in 2022. Yet the Italian factory are facing an internal fight for the title this year, as Bezzecchi and Martin rose to the top of the riders’ standings during the first three rounds.
Bezzecchi sits just four points clear of Martin atop the standings ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez this weekend, with 81 and 71 in their accounts. KTM racer Pedro Acosta is their closest rival on 60 points, ahead of VR46 star Fabio Di Giannantonio as the top Ducati on 50.
Aprilia have even seen Bezzecchi win the first three Grands Prix to start the 2026 season, while also leading every lap. Martin won the Sprint at COTA for his sole victory so far, but is hot on Bezzecchi’s heels as the latter crashed in the Sprint Races in Thailand and America.
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Jorge Martin has a ‘big advantage’ with Marco Bezzecchi giving him a ‘benchmark’ at Aprilia
CEO Rivola believes Bezzecchi’s Grand Prix performances are also serving as a “benchmark” for Martin to see what the Aprilia RS-GP is capable of, while the latter continues his recovery from last year’s injuries. He is not fully fit after the surgeries on his collarbone and left hand.
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As Martin also beat Francesco Bagnaia to win the MotoGP title in 2024, as the first rider to lift the championship in the MotoGP era for an independent team, Rivola feels he can even “enjoy” the 2026 title fight with Bezzecchi – which he doubts will need any team orders yet.
“I’ll get in touch with my [former F1] colleague Andrea Stella to establish the ‘black rules’,” Rivola joked with Motorsport.com. “It’s true that Martin is not 100% physically yet, and I think he’s still lacking something in the closing stages of races.
“Sometimes he still needs to think things through instead of acting on instinct, so I think he still has room for improvement. Above all, he has a benchmark in Marco, who is at a very high level, and the data is shared.
“For these reasons, Jorge has a big advantage right now. He’s under no pressure. Naturally, the pressure is more on Marco, who has been gaining ground since the end of last year.
“Jorge also has the advantage of having already won a world championship, unlike Marco. So, he has less to prove, and he can probably enjoy things with less pressure after what happened last year.”
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Rivola worked for the Ferrari Formula 1 team from 2009 to 2019, before he joined Aprilia as the CEO of their MotoGP team. His time in Maranello saw the Italian work alongside Stella, who left Ferrari for McLaren in 2015 and has worked as their F1 team principal since 2023.
Stella also had to manage an internal F1 drivers’ title fight between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at McLaren in 2025, which the former won after overturning a 34-point deficit to his teammate. McLaren chose against having a clear No1, but did occasionally use team orders.
Rivola has already confirmed that Aprilia will not use team orders on Martin and Bezzecchi in 2026 if they indeed both emerge as genuine title rivals. He also expects other rivals will emerge in KTM’s Acosta and reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez of Ducati this year.
“If we end up having this ‘problem’ – the Aprilia riders fighting each other for the title – then great, I’d love it,” Rivola added. “But I don’t think it’ll just be them.
“I think Marc Marquez will be in the fight. In fact, I think the championship will really start in Jerez. Then there’s Pedro Acosta, who’s doing something truly extraordinary.
“[Acosta] is one of those riders who makes the difference. And Ducati certainly haven’t disappeared, they finished first and second in the sprints.”
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