Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia star Marco Bezzecchi passed Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia en route to victory at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Bagnaia took the lead from polesitter Bezzecchi in the early stages, but he could only hold on until lap 14 out of 23. Martin later followed him through to make it a one-two for the Noale squad.
It was almost a podium lock-out, but Bagnaia held off Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura at the final corner. Ducati have won this race in each of the last four seasons, but Aprilia were dominant in their rivals’ backyard.
What happened to Ducati’s MotoGP dominance?
Aprilia's one-two at Mugello underlines their status as the top team on the grid
Aprilia hint that Ducati are scared of their bike aero
Before the race, paddock reporter Mat Oxley spotted a unique sticker on Aprilia’s bike depicting Edvard Munch’s famous painting, ‘The Scream’.
During the off-season, Ducati pushed for Aprilia’s seat aero to be banned, but the matter was tabled until 2027. It was no coincidence that the sticker was attached to the so-called ‘leg wing’.
The implication is effectively that Ducati, who have been the benchmark manufacturer in MotoGP since the start of the decade, are almost scared of Aprilia’s aerodynamic advancements.
Marco Bezzecchi wins his home race at Mugello! 🏆 Where do you stand on the title race right now?
For years, Ducati were the most innovative team in the paddock, but Aprilia may now have taken that mantle under technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini.
Bezzecchi now sits 17 points clear of Martin in the standings, with nearest Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio 39 back in third. Aprilia’s factory squad are also running away with the teams’ championship.
They’re now almost 150 clear of satellite team Trackhouse, who won the Sprint race here through Raul Fernandez, in second. VR46 and Ducati sit third and fourth, respectively.
The gap between the two brands in the constructors’ is 30 points. Aprilia have won five of the first seven Grands Prix and have scored 11 podiums out of a possible 21 on Sundays.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
