Why Ducati think Aprilia’s early season success might be overblown
Photo by Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images There’s a belief within Ducati that the early season performance shift in MotoGP has a lot to do with Michelin’s updated tyre construction, and it may have favoured Aprilia more than expected. The familiar balance of power has shifted, and Ducati are starting to feel the pressure. Marco Bezzecchi has set the early pace, winning back-to-back races to open the year and extending his run of consecutive victories to four dating back to last season.
He leads Jorge Martin by 11 points in the standings, while Fabio Di Giannantonio is 19 points back as the top Ducati rider. Reigning champion Marc Marquez trails by 22. Marquez has now gone two races without a podium finish for the first time since late 2024 when he missed out at Thailand and Malaysia.
Though he did take victory in the Brazil Sprint, Aprilia responded with a dominant one-two in Sunday’s main race. Aprilia tyre advantage suspected by Ducati chiefs Photo by Klaus Pressberger/SEPA. Media /Getty Images To handle the high temperatures at the start of the season, Michelin introduced a harder rear tyre casing for the opening two rounds.
Ducati have historically found it difficult to adapt to these types of compounds. El Periodico reports that Dall’Igna and Tardozzi have been overheard claiming that this temporary adjustment has ‘greatly benefited’ Aprilia in the first two events. While they remain ‘concerned’ by how comfortable Aprilia’s wins have appeared, there is at least an emerging theory behind it.
Francesco Bagnaia has already said that he thinks Aprilia are now ahead of Ducati, but there is still belief in Borgo Panigale that some more traditional races will level out some of the early buzz surrounding Massimo Rivola’s side. Ducati facing growing questions as Marquez trails Di Giannantonio 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 have an upgrade planned for Jerez next month, and Aprilia are likely working on something similar.