Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia and Ducati have recently been engaged in a symbolic battle to be seen as MotoGP’s Italian national team.
Until recently, there was no question that Ducati held this mantle, but now it’s Aprilia who are leading the way, with Rimini native Marco Bezzecchi top of the riders’ standings.
And from next year, Aprilia will field an all-Italian line-up as Francesco Bagnaia joins from Ducati, replacing the Yamaha-bound Jorge Martin.
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Bagnaia lost his Ducati seat to Pedro Acosta as the Spanish wave continues at Ducati.
While the satellite announcements are still pending, it’s said that five of the six Desmosedici riders next year will be Spanish, with rumoured VR46 signing Nicolo Bulega the only exception.
Acosta will partner Marc Marquez at the factory team, Fermin Aldeguer will shuffle to VR46 and Gresini will form an all-new partnership of Joan Mir and Dani Holgado.
According to recent reports, Aprilia management aren’t impressed with Ducati. They feel that the two teams have a responsibility to promote Italian talent, but only one of them is living up to it.
Aprilia called Mugello ‘our house’ after Bezzecchi’s victory last month, a move that likely had Ducati ‘raging’.
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It was no surprise, then, to see a heavy emphasis on Bagnaia’s nationality when the announcement was made on Thursday morning. The team even modified their logo to mirror the Italian flag.
Their official statement begins with the line ‘the sky is azzurro over Noale’, a reference to the Italian national team’s iconic colours.
Team boss Massimo Rivola spoke more about Bagnaia’s heritage than his riding in his remarks.
“[Piaggi Group CEO] Michele Colaninno and I share the same vision of supporting Italy, which is why we both thought of Marco and Pecco together for the next chapter of Aprilia Racing,” he said.
“Bagnaia’s arrival is a confirmation of the value of Italian sport, which in recent months has distinguished itself on the world stage thanks to the achievements of Kimi Antonelli in Formula 1, Jannik Sinner in tennis, and Federica Brignone at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
“That is why welcoming Pecco fills us with pride and gives Italian sport a further boost internationally.”
Aprilia are setting out their new marketing strategy right from the outset, but it’s clear that this is partially aimed at Ducati too. They feel that their claim to represent Italy in MotoGP is now beyond dispute.
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