Aprilia convinced: Target is to beat “special” Marc Marquez in 2026 - Exclusive

A clear conclusion from the 2025 MotoGP season is that beating Ducati is one challenge, beating Marc Marquez another.

Aprilia has set its sights on achieving both in 2026.

A mistake by its factory rider Marco Bezzecchi forced newly crowned champion Marquez to miss the final four rounds of last season due to injury. It also arguably cost Bezzecchi two Grand Prix victories.

Bezzecchi had been favourite to complete the double in Indonesia, then narrowly lost out to Trackhouse Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez at Phillip Island, where he served a double long-lap penalty for the Mandalika incident.

Despite surrendering a potential 148 points during the races he missed, Marquez still finished the season 78 points clear of his younger brother Alex.

Bezzecchi completed Aprilia’s best MotoGP campaign in third, during his debut season on the RS-GP, but was a daunting 192 points behind Marc Marquez.

However, Bezzecchi scored more points than any other rider in the second half of the season - again with the caveat that Marquez, winner of 25 of the opening 36 races, was sidelined.

Ducati also sealed the constructors’ title by a huge 350 points over Aprilia.

While nobody knows what would have happened had Marquez been present in the closing rounds, Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola is confident Bezzecchi could have beaten Marquez fair-and-square in Indonesia and Phillip Island.

Before the Mandalika clash, Bezzecchi became the first rider to defeat Marquez in a dry, mistake-free 2025 Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The Italian then pushed the new factory Ducati star hard to the chequered flag at Assen and especially Misano, before ending the year with back-to-back GP victories at Portimao and Valencia.

“The target is clearly to beat Marc,” Rivola told Crash.net of Aprilia’s 2026 goals, when quizzed on the two-tier challenge of defeating Ducati and Marc Marquez.

“It's very disappointing, and apologies again to Marc for what happened in Indonesia.

“But also, because of that crash, I think Marco didn't win in Indonesia and in Australia.

“I'm super happy that Raul won in Australia. But we could be in a position [where Marco won those two races].”

Even so, Bezzecchi went on to win either a Sprint or Grand Prix at four of the final five rounds, the only exception being Sepang.

“That’s a strong sign for the [2026] championship. But obviously, it was without Marc present,” Rivola added.

“Still, I think that in Indonesia, Marco was stronger than Marc. It looks like also in Phillip Island, Marco was very special. But maybe Marc… who knows?

“We know that Marc is also special, but the target is to beat Marc in 2026.”

Rivola expects MotoGP manufacturers "in a similar position"

With MotoGP engine design frozen since the start of last season for Ducati, KTM and Aprilia, Rivola isn’t expecting a major shake-up in the technical order during the final season of 1000cc competition.

But he also warned that a couple of tenths can make all the difference.

“We don't know how much the others will develop the bike for next season. But the expectation for everybody, I would say for ‘26, apart from Yamaha with a completely different [V4] bike, is to be more or less in a similar position,” he explained.

“But even if you do a small step, like a couple of tenths, maybe you gain three rows on the starting grid now! And any time you can be in, let's say, the ‘top train’, you do a completely different race than if you start in the middle of the pack.

“Marco showed he was super good in overtaking and getting positions back in those situations, but still, you destroy the tyres. So it's a different race.”

Bezzecchi and team-mate Jorge Martin - who missed most of last year through injury - will unveil Aprilia’s 2026 factory colours during an official team launch in Milan on Thursday, January 15.

Marc Marquez will return to MotoGP action at the season-opening Sepang test from February 3-5.