Podcast: Aprilia needs to take drastic action to win 2026 MotoGP title

Marco Bezzecchi got back to winning ways at the MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix, while Jorge Martin holds a slender lead in the championship after a third-place finish.

The Mandalika circuit was always anticipated to suit Aprilia. Raul Fernandez grabbed pole for Trackhouse for the first time in his career to underline that form.

Marc Marquez won the sprint in what proved to be a dramatic race, but Aprilia locked out the top four in the grand prix.

Bezzecchi, who hadn’t won since May’s Italian Grand Prix, beat an injured Fernandez 24 hours after their controversial collision at the start of the sprint.

It’s a result that has given some life to Bezzecchi’s fading title hopes, though he is still 46 points adrift with five rounds left.

Team-mate Martin came home third to retake a two-point lead in the championship, having dropped four behind Marquez in the sprint.

It’s a result that Aprilia will view as a missed opportunity, with Marquez emerging from his weakest circuit on the Ducati still firmly in the hunt.

To boot, he also put some pressure on Martin in the sprint, who made a crucial error with just over a lap to go when running in second behind Marquez.

With Marquez keeping the heat on Martin, questions now turn to what Aprilia must do to ensure its best chance of a MotoGP title ever is not snatched from its grasp.

In the latest Crash MotoGP Podcast, Amy Reynolds is joined by Lewis Duncan and Peter McLaren to discuss the Indonesian Grand Prix.

Central to their discussion is the topic of team orders and when Aprilia needs to adopt the policy.

For now, Aprilia says it will wait a couple of races. But the team argues that Aprilia cannot afford to be sentimental towards its riders with so much on the line.

They also discuss Martin’s jump start controversy, as well as the new race weekend format that was announced last week.

The team looks at whether or not the new format will deliver on its intended purpose, and whether MotoGP is once again missing out on the best way to grow the championship’s profile.

This also feeds into news that MotoGP will start fining riders for missing PR events during race weekends - something that has gone down poorly in the paddock.

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