How Aprilia grew to become Ducati’s nearest MotoGP challenger

In a MotoGP season dominated by Marc Marquez and Ducati, Aprilia has emerged as a constant frontrunner, placing the pink bikes underneath strain on a number of events. 

In reality, it’s now been nearly 30 months since a producer aside from Ducati or Aprilia has received a dry-weather race, whether or not a dash or a grand prix. 

Nonetheless, whereas Aprilia has been the one marque constantly stopping Ducati from sweeping MotoGP victories in recent times, 2025 has seen the Noale manufacturing unit take one other step ahead, addressing the one space the place it beforehand lacked – consistency.

Aprilia’s efficiency over time

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Previously, the RS-GP’s peak efficiency was so excessive that it was nearly unbeatable on sure circuits reminiscent of Barcelona. However its slender efficiency window meant it lacked the flexibility of its rivals – a weak spot that allowed KTM to edge it out for second within the constructors’ standings in each 2023 and 2024.

In some ways, Aprilia over the previous three years resembled Ducati within the late 2010s, when the Borgo Panigale had a motorbike that was a rocket on straights however not so fast in corners.

That, nevertheless, is starting to vary. As MotoGP nears the tip of its present regulation cycle, Aprilia has developed the RS-GP right into a prototype able to contending throughout all circuit sorts.

“Clearly, we had been very quick on the flowing components and it was once fairly an excellent attribute of the Aprilia,” mentioned the group’s CEO, Massimo Rivola. “Nevertheless it additionally seems to be like we’re 1760483710 extra aggressive at cease/go tracks. So on common, the bike is getting higher and higher.”

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Fabiano Sterlacchini, Technical director Aprilia Racing, Paolo Bonoro, Staff supervisor Aprilia Racing

Picture by: Aprilia Racing

A serious turning level got here with the management change on the finish of 2024, when Gigi Dall’Igna’s former right-hand man Fabiano Sterlacchini joined Aprilia as technical director after a three-year stint at KTM.

Below Sterlacchini, Aprilia has made huge strides with the RS-GP, with podium finishes in six of the final 9 grands prix. It has additionally eradicated some long-standing points with the bike, together with its tendency to overheat underneath excessive ambient temperatures at sure tracks in Asia.

Though the precise technical steps behind the bike’s progress stay carefully guarded, Aprilia’s rising consistency has clearly lifted confidence and perception all through the mission.

“In this sort of sport, half [of achieving success] is the approach and half is the motivation: how a lot you consider that the whole lot is correct. There is not at all times an equation and a simulation [to follow], it’s a must to belief the results of your job,” Sterlacchini advised Autosport. 

“If in case you have some ups and downs, typically after the downward part, you may have a chance to have an up, however you will not have it as a result of you don’t consider that you may have it. 

“Consistency is the primary regulation, as a result of if we’re having an excellent efficiency in a single race, theoretically it may be [down] to a [specific] case and never since you are constructing [the bike further].”

For a group that has successfully operated as a one-rider outfit for a lot of the season as a consequence of Martin’s accidents, that consistency and self-belief have been invaluable to the manufacturing unit.

In Martin’s absence, Aprilia has been in a position to rely on different 2025 signing Marco Bezzecchi, who led the group to a tremendous victory within the British Grand Prix and was set to repeat that feat in Indonesia till a uncommon error on the opening lap.

Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing

Picture by: Gold and Goose Images / LAT Photographs / by way of Getty Photographs

In Mandalika, Aprilia confirmed the form of uncooked efficiency it hadn’t displayed for the reason that 2024 Americas GP, with Bezzecchi taking pole by 4 tenths and recovering from eighth to win the dash race.

However the trade-off of constructing a extra rounded bike has been a slight lack of its earlier strengths on tracks like Barcelona. 

In 2023, Aprilia scored a dominant 1-2 on the Catalan GP, marking a uncommon event the place Ducati was utterly outgunned by one among its rivals. In 2024, it misplaced a few of that edge, although Aleix Espargaro nonetheless managed pole and a dash win at his house race. By 2025, nevertheless, no Aprilia certified or completed inside the highest 5.

In keeping with Sterlacchini, that’s not as a result of Aprilia has gone backwards in Barcelona however quite others have caught up quicker.

“Generally efficiency is relative,” he mentioned. “So if our bike is quicker than the yr earlier than – and the bike is quicker, that is an goal truth – the others are quicker than you as a result of they improved extra. 

“From the skin, it’s at all times straightforward to attempt to attract some conclusion when it comes to ‘you probably did carry out fairly nicely on the observe, and now no [you don’t]’. No, we improved the lap time, we’re higher, however sadly, the others did a greater job than us. So we’ve got to maintain in account a number of elements to know the place we’re. 

“What’s necessary, as a result of the competitors is relative to the others, is how shut we’re to the highest riders – and in in all probability across the [last] 10 [races], we’re performing fairly nicely, we’re at all times within the prime three to 5.”

This yr’s Catalan GP featured a straight battle between the Marquez brothers, with Gresini rider Alex Marquez finally scoring a slender victory on final yr’s Ducati GP24. Enea Bastianini completed greater than 5 seconds behind the duo on the Tech3 KTM, whereas the highest Aprilia rider was Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura in sixth after Bezzecchi was worn out in an early incident with Franco Morbidelli.

As to why Aprilia’s rivals have made greater features in Barcelona, Sterlacchini mentioned: “They’re working to attempt to enhance [their bike], and typically they’re specializing in the tracks the place they consider they’re weaker.

“I consider that Ducati, after the efficiency of Aprilia in 2023, focussed lots on the three tracks that they’ve to decide on for testing. They selected Barcelona and so they did a number of exams, so I consider that they spent extra time there. This is likely one of the elements however there could possibly be a number of different elements.”

Preventing to be the ‘better of the remainder’

Enea Bastianini, Crimson Bull KTM Tech 3, Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing

Picture by: Toshifumi Kitamura / AFP by way of Getty Photographs

Regardless of shedding its inherent benefit in Barcelona, the general development at Aprilia is upward. It might be competing with half the riders, however the RS-GP stays sturdy sufficient to chase a historic second place within the constructors’ championship.

Its chief rival is KTM, which has loved its personal resurgence because it launched a brand new aero bundle in Austria. Nonetheless, the efficiency of the RC16 continues to fluctuate race by race, giving Aprilia a 28-point buffer within the standings with 4 rounds remaining.

“One of many focuses that we had firstly of the season was to complete within the prime 5 within the riders’ championship, and to win this battle with KTM to be second instantly after Ducati. That’s the affordable goal trying on the outcomes of Aprilia within the final [few] years,” Sterlacchini mentioned.

“We misplaced some factors right here and there for some errors but additionally for causes that don’t depend upon our job, like in Barcelona [where] we had two zeroes principally for no fault of Marco. 

“Fortunately, we recovered some factors when it comes to producers as a result of Ogura did a very good race, but it surely’s a part of the sport and our goal is to complete second within the producers’ championship.”

Because the Indonesian GP confirmed, the final piece of the puzzle for Aprilia is its rider line-up. With Martin and Ogura withdrawing as a consequence of accidents, it was already down to 2 riders earlier than the beginning of the weekend. Bezzecchi’s opening-lap error left solely Fernandez to hold the flag, and he may do no higher than sixth after getting mired in a battle with Honda’s Luca Marini.

If Aprilia can get all its riders firing collectively, it may develop into a critical challenger to Ducati subsequent season.

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– The Autosport.com Staff