From Argentina to Mandalika: The path to Aprilia's ultimate MotoGP race result

Following a sweep of the first four positions with its quartet of entries, Aprilia has now ticked off the best possible race result it can achieve in MotoGP.

In terms of hard outcomes, the story of Aprilia as a winner in the premier category begins with Aleix Espargaro's breakthrough in the 2022 Argentinean Grand Prix.

From that day on, it was a gentle ascent to the peak it scaled at Mandalika over four years later - albeit with a spurt as the summit approached.

After a second Espargaro win at Silverstone in 2023, Aprilia began to register all-round team results. The first of these came in the shape of a 1-2, which factory riders Espargaro and Maverick Vinales secured in Barcelona later that year.

Aprilia couldn't build on that with another 1-2 in 2024, when the only win was Vinales's runaway showing in Austin.

It was only after Marco Bezzecchi's win at Silverstone in 2025 that Aprilia embarked on the consistent form that led it to ultimate team glory at Mandalika last Sunday.

It took until the finale at Valencia last year for Aprilia to add a second 1-2 to its resume, as Bezzecchi led Raul Fernandez across the line. That result was a sign that Trackhouse had front-running potential with its satellite bikes - a fact that has taken Aprilia results to the next level as 2026 has unfolded.

Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing, Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

A technical problem for Ai Ogura in Austin robbed the manufacturer of what would likely have been its first podium sweep in round three of the championship - but the wait for that dream to become reality would not be a long one.

Two races later, at Le Mans in France, Ogura brought the Trackhouse bike home behind the factory duo of Martin and Bezzecchi for a glorious 1-2-3.

While Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia spoiled hopes of a home podium sweep with his third place at Mugello, Aprilia did manage to repeat the feat at Assen in late June. This time, Ogura was the winner, with Fernandez second and Martin third.

The only box that still needed ticking was a top-four sweep. But following Mandalika, Aprilia now has that one in the bag too.

Ducati decline

While Aprilia's star rose gently and then exploded in 2026, Ducati's has been in reverse over a similar time period.

In a remarkable streak that stretched from 2021 until this year's Thai Grand Prix, the Bologna manufacturer had at least one representative on every grand prix podium.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Thanks to a mixture of performance and numbers, big sweeps for Ducati were commonplace for much of that time. But its last top-six sweep to date came at Phillip Island in 2024. And you have to go back to last year's Italian GP for its last top-four lockout.

This year, as Aprilia has surged to prominence and KTM's Pedro Acosta has added regular cameos, even podium sweeps for Ducati have become rare. This season there has only been one, in Catalunya, when Fabio Di Giannantonio won ahead of Fermin Aldeguer and Bagnaia.

MotoGP will come in for something of a reset next season, when all the manufacturers will field 850cc bikes, on Pirelli rubber, in accordance with the new rules set.