Aprilia Confident Marco Bezzecchi Can Beat Marc Marquez in MotoGP 2026

MotoGP, Sportrik Media – Aprilia Racing has made it clear that its primary objective for the MotoGP 2026 season is not only to challenge Ducati, but also to defeat Marc Marquez, following the strong late-season form shown by Marco Bezzecchi.

The 2025 season was widely regarded as the era of Marquez. Despite missing the final four rounds through injury, the Ducati rider still finished the year 78 points ahead of his brother Alex Marquez, having won 25 of the opening 36 races. However, Aprilia believes the data from the second half of the season proves that Bezzecchi was increasingly able to match — and at times outperform — Marquez on equal terms.

Bezzecchi delivered Aprilia’s best ever championship result by finishing third overall in his debut season on the RS-GP. He also scored more points than any other rider in the second half of the year, albeit without Marquez present in the final four events. Crucially, before Marquez was injured, Bezzecchi became the first rider to beat him in a clean, dry race at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola has been open about the team’s ambitions, stating that Bezzecchi was stronger than Marquez at the Indonesian Grand Prix and also at the Australian Grand Prix, two races where penalties and incidents denied Marco potential victories. Rivola believes those missed opportunities distorted the true competitive picture.

Ducati’s overall dominance remains a major obstacle, with the Italian manufacturer finishing 350 points ahead of Aprilia in the constructors’ championship. However, with engine specifications frozen from the start of 2025 for Ducati, KTM and Aprilia, Rivola does not expect a dramatic shift in the technical hierarchy heading into the final season of the 1000cc era in 2026.

He also warned that in modern MotoGP, gains of just a few tenths of a second can transform an entire race weekend. Starting from the front rows significantly reduces tyre degradation and exposure to traffic, and while Bezzecchi has proven exceptional at overtaking, Aprilia recognises that improving qualifying performance is essential to consistently challenge Marquez.

Aprilia will also be strengthened by Jorge Martin in 2026, after the Spaniard missed most of 2025 through injury. Martin’s reputation as one of the fastest qualifiers in MotoGP is seen as a key factor in elevating the team’s overall performance.

Bezzecchi and Martin will unveil Aprilia’s 2026 factory colours in Milan on January 15 before returning to the track for the Sepang Test from February 3–5, where they will face Marquez again for the first time since the end of last season.

With momentum, regulatory stability and a strengthened rider line up, Aprilia enters 2026 no longer as an outsider but as a team openly targeting Marc Marquez and Ducati as the benchmark for success at https://sportrik.com/en.