The contrasting tactics used by Ducati and Aprilia in MotoGP 2026 title fight

The prospect of five MotoGP riders heading into the second half of the 2026 season as genuine title contenders - separated by just 24 points - now seems like a distant memory. The complexion of the championship has changed significantly since the summer break ended, with three riders emerging as a cut above the rest: Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi.

This has created a fascinating scenario, with two riders from Aprilia still in the fight but Ducati having only one lone wolf leading its charge. While the numbers may be in Aprilia’s favour, having more players isn’t necessarily a good thing. If anything, Ducati holds an advantage in several key areas.

For the Borgo Panigale manufacturer, the situation is quite simple. It is putting all its weight behind Marquez, the rider who dominated the 2025 campaign and remains the reference in the field despite racing with “one-and-a-half arms”.

Prioritising Marquez was always going to be the most logical choice, but Ducati's other riders have made the decision a no-brainer. Francesco Bagnaia’s form suddenly nosedived at the beginning of 2025 - largely due to rear grip issues for which no solution has yet been found - and what seemed like a lifetime partnership is now in its final stretches. Even among Ducati’s satellite teams, no single rider has emerged as a credible rival, with Alex Marquez’s campaign characterised by wild fluctuations and Fabio di Giannantonio unable to replicate his early-season form.

Until Pedro Acosta joins the team next year, Marc Marquez is Ducati, and Ducati is Marc Marquez. The reigning world champion knows Ducati will do whatever it takes to support his title bid, much like Honda did when he raced in Repsol colours.

Aprilia, however, finds itself in a very different situation, with both its factory riders still in the thick of the title battle. Until one of them is no longer in mathematical contention, Aprilia will continue to provide equal support to Martin and Bezzecchi. But equality isn’t the same as neutrality, and Aprilia would rather have Bezzecchi leading the championship by two points rather than trailing Martin by 49.

Martin leads Marquez by two points and Bezzecchi by 49

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

After all, Bezzecchi has been the cornerstone of Aprilia’s modern MotoGP project. Working with the factory’s highly-rated technical director Fabiano Sterallachini upon his arrival in 2025, the Italian’s in-depth feedback helped hone the RS-GP into arguably the most versatile bike on the grid. He also carried this development work entirely on his shoulders, while team-mate Martin spent much of the 2025 campaign on the sidelines due to multiple injuries.

Aprilia also knows that Bezzecchi represents the team’s future in the 850cc era, while Martin will begin testing for rival brand Yamaha in less than two months.

But those are not the only two reasons why Bezzecchi has become Aprilia’s favourite child. In the summer of 2025, Martin made a failed attempt to extricate himself from his contract, leaving a sour taste in the management’s mouth. Considering Massimo Rivola had gone to great lengths to lure Martin to Aprilia, digging deep into the pocket to offer him a competitive salary, watching Martin reject the team he had built was always going to leave a lasting impact.

Martin does have doubts about whether Noale will put in the same effort to assist him away from the track, even if the team keeps things fair between him and Bezzecchi in the garage

Make no mistake, Aprilia will never do anything to jeopardise Martin’s chances. After all, it wants to win its maiden MotoGP title, and if Martin ends up being its best bet, so be it. But it's ideal scenario would very much involve an Italian rider winning on an Italian bike.

But at the same time, there has been no denying Martin has clearly been the quicker of the two in recent races, with Bezzecchi yet to rediscover his early-season form following his Sachsenring injuries. Bezzecchi will have to pull something special out of the bag to overcome his deficit, especially with Martin barely making any mistakes at this stage of the campaign.

It’s worth highlighting that Martin also finds himself in a tricky place. When Aprilia openly came in support of Bezzecchi following his altercation with a marshal, the Spaniard said he hoped he would receive the same backing from his team if he found himself in a tough situation. This followed just weeks after Rivola said he wouldn’t “disagree” if Martin got a more severe penalty than the double lap he eventually received.

For the first time this season, Marquez, Martin and Bezzecchi monopolised the podium positions in a Sunday race at Motegi last weekend

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

That suggests that Martin does have doubts about whether Noale will put in the same effort to assist him away from the track, even if the team keeps things fair between him and Bezzecchi in the garage.

In a team sport, athletes need to feel they are wanted. When Ducati snubbed the 2024 champion in favour of Marquez for a factory seat midway through that year, Martin wasted no time in signing a contract with Aprilia, despite the RS-GP being nowhere near as competitive then as it is today.

Two years later, Martin finds himself fighting against the same rider, who occupies a seat he believes should have been his.

Ultimately, there is a lot at stake for both Ducati and Aprilia, as the curtain falls on the 1000cc era. Under the stewardship of Gigi Dall’Igna, Ducati revolutionised MotoGP, with the increased reliance on aerodynamics completely changing how modern prototypes look and behave on track.

With Dall'Igna at the helm, Ducati has won 100 out of the last 203 grands prix, at an incredible strike rate of almost 50%. That’s a statistic Dall’Igna is incredibly proud of, and he wants to ensure Ducati remains the top dog in an era that has been defined by its success.

Aprilia’s management, too, has plenty to feel good about.. While Ducati had the first-mover advantage in the aero department, Aprilia has arguably defeated it at its own game. Massimo Rivola, who comes from a Formula 1 background, has transformed what was once a perennial backmarker into a serial race winner, and he has one clear goal in front of him. Winning the championship will be sweet, but beating Dall’Igna will be even sweeter for him.

Ducati is leaving no stone unturned to support Marc Marquez in his pursuit of a 10th world title

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

At the beginning of the season, Aprilia brand ambassador Max Biaggi fired shots at Ducati, claiming Aprilia was the only true Italian team on the grid. This was in reference to Ducati’s German ownership, with the Volkswagen Group having long owned the motorcycle manufacturer via its Audi subsidiary.

That goes to show this battle is as much between Dall’Igna and Rivola as it is between their riders. Both want to brag about having built the fastest ever MotoGP bike in history, as the upcoming regulations in 2027 will bring a noticeable drop in performance. In fact, Aprilia and Ducati are currently tied in the manufacturers’ standings heading into Mandalika, which would mark another pivotal moment in the championship.

Given Marc Marquez’s poor track record at the Indonesian GP, Martin is expected to pull away from him in the championship, while Bezzecchi will be hoping to replicate his 2025 Indonesian GP pace and return to the victory lane. This does leave the possibility of Martin and Bezzecchi potentially taking points off each other, allowing Marquez to strike a bigger blow when MotoGP returns to tracks that are more suited to him.

Bring the Trackhouse duo into the equation, and Aprilia could leave Marquez contending for no higher than fifth place at some of the upcoming races

History shows that an open fight between two riders from the same manufacturer can backfire. Just two years ago, Martin won the 2024 MotoGP title over Bagnaia because Ducati provided the same equipment to Pramac as its factory team. But Martin winning the title was hardly a disaster for Ducati, even if he took the number 1 plate to a rival brand. The Spaniard, after all, was racing the Desmosedici, in a title fight that was exclusively between its own riders.

The 2026 battle, where Aprilia is up against its biggest rival in the paddock, is very different. Martin and Bezzecchi may be fighting against each other, but if they both remain competitive, they could also limit Marquez’s ability to score points at the world champion’s weakest venues. Bring the Trackhouse duo into the equation, and Aprilia could leave Marquez contending for no higher than fifth place at some of the upcoming races.

Ultimately, losing against Marquez will not be a disgrace for Martin or Bezzecchi. The 33-year-old cemented his position as one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time last year, and even fighting against him for the title is a privilege, as Martin himself admitted on Sunday.

But with Marquez visibly battered and having to make more sacrifices than ever just to overcome his limitations, coming second-best to him would certainly sting.