MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Marco Bezzecchi has played down speculation linking double world champion Francesco Bagnaia with a potential move to Aprilia Racing for the 2027 season, speaking during the 2026 pre-season test in Buriram.
Bagnaia, MotoGP world champion in 2022 and 2023 with Ducati, is widely expected to leave the Italian manufacturer at the end of the current campaign. Ducati Lenovo Team is understood to be prioritising retaining Marc Marquez while also considering Pedro Acosta for a future factory seat. Although Bagnaia had been strongly linked with Yamaha during the winter, those reports cooled amid speculation surrounding Jorge Martin’s situation.
Since the Sepang test, Bagnaia’s name has increasingly been associated with Aprilia, with suggestions that the Noale-based manufacturer is making a significant effort to secure the Italian as Bezzecchi’s team-mate for 2027. Asked directly about the rumours at Buriram, Bezzecchi declined to engage in speculation.
“I’m just riding. For me, it doesn’t matter who is on the other side of the box.”
“I have to focus on riding. That’s something you should ask Massimo Rivola, not me.”
Bezzecchi and Bagnaia share a long-standing relationship through Valentino Rossi’s VR46 Riders Academy, having progressed through the ranks together. Away from rider market speculation, Bezzecchi has been concentrating on evaluating the RS-GP26 ahead of the new season.
He was among several riders to crash lightly during Saturday’s running but escaped injury.
“I went a bit wide and touched the blue paint in Turn 3,” he explained.
“But I was going slow, so it was fortunately just a small mistake.”
Aprilia is running with a full factory line-up in Buriram, including Jorge Martin following off-season surgery. However, Bezzecchi indicated that his own testing workload remains substantial given Martin’s limited time on the bike so far.
“It’s good to have Jorge back in the box, and I’m happy to see him on track again. But he needs to ride without being stressed, and he deserves that time.”
“I’m also trying different items and configurations. It’s normal in testing that we split the jobs, and I think it’s going well.”
Aprilia 2027 Situation Overview
Main Rumour - Francesco Bagnaia linked with Aprilia for 2027
Ducati Context - Potential factory reshuffle involving Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta
Bezzecchi Position - Focused on performance, not management decisions
Team Status - Jorge Martin returning after surgery
Testing Focus - RS-GP26 development and 2026 race preparation
With the rider market already generating significant attention ahead of the 2026 season opener, Aprilia finds itself navigating both technical development and long-term strategic planning within an increasingly competitive MotoGP landscape.
Photo Gallery
Read Also
Full 2026 Buriram MotoGP test schedule with local Thailand time and UK GMT timings ahead of the Thai Grand Prix.
Aston Martin and Honda face reliability and power concerns during 2026 F1 Bahrain testing, raising early-season questions.
Fabio Quartararo shows frustration with Yamaha’s V4 at the 2026 Buriram MotoGP test, but technical analysis reveals limited positives.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Please login to join the discussion.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!