Aprilia's rollercoaster pursuit of a first-ever MotoGP title went through more peaks and troughs at Mandalika during the 2026 season. Eager to capitalise at a circuit where the RS-GP held a clear advantage over title rival Marc Marquez, Saturday’s Sprint instead ended with the Ducati rider winning and taking over the World Championship lead.
The front-row Aprilias tangled at Turn 1, while Jorge Martin was forced to surrender a safe lead to Marquez due to tyre-pressure concerns. A later mistake then dropped Martin to fourth, prompting a remarkably honest admission from the team hierarchy regarding the operational errors that compromised their championship contender.
Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola addressed the team's rollercoaster weekend candidly on Sunday evening. Once again, Aprilia means high drama, for better and for worse. Saturday started in the best possible way with pole position, but the sprint was marred by a mistake at turn one and a serious error over Jorge’s front tyre pressure, for which they owed him an apology.
Despite the early setbacks, Sunday’s Grand Prix produced an historic all-Aprilia top-four sweep that completely shifted the momentum. Marco Bezzecchi claimed his glorious victory ahead of the injured Fernandez, while Martin regained the title lead with a crucial third-place finish ahead of Ai Ogura.
Rivola emphasized that the Italian manufacturer refuses to get carried away by success or disheartened by failure as the championship battle intensifies. Knowing that the fight will go right down to the wire, the entire factory in Noale remains fully committed to delivering a historic world title.
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