Ducati has framed Aprilia’s early 2026 surge as a problem it must fix through technical upgrades rather than rider heroics, blaming tyre and chassis factors for the gap while privately questioning whether Aprilia’s bike has been overhyped. Ducati figures including Gigi Dall’Igna and Davide Tardozzi have privately suggested Aprilia’s RS‑GP26 may have been overplayed, while the factory has publicly conceded it started the season behind Aprilia. Ducati engineers said Michelin’s new, harder rear‑tyre casing used in the opening rounds “greatly benefited” Aprilia and that the stiffer rear casings introduced for the year, together with particular track and temperature conditions, amplified Aprilia’s advantage.

The competitive picture was underlined at Goiânia, where Marco Bezzecchi led an Aprilia one‑two with teammate Jorge Martin and extended a winning streak to four straight premier‑class victories, leaving Bezzecchi 11 points clear of Martin in the standings. The Brazilian weekend also exposed specific weaknesses in the Ducati Desmosedici GP26: the track surface began breaking up and caught Marc Márquez wide at Turn 12, repeatedly highlighting rear‑stability issues that Ducati spent the weekend working on, including tail and rear‑end changes. Ducati figures noted Márquez could not match the Aprilias’ race pace despite winning the Sprint, Francesco Bagnaia crashed from 11th and sits well down the standings, and Fabio Di Giannantonio — the day’s leading Ducati — and others pointed to Aprilia’s superior front‑end stability allowing higher corner speed and stronger exits when temperatures rise and grip falls.

Ducati has outlined a rapid response plan focused on technical development. Team managers signalled upgrades and tests at Jerez (April 24–26) and the in‑season test the following Monday to gather full‑day data, with an immediate priority on rear‑end stability fixes and aerodynamic steps reported during private testing. Davide Tardozzi said the squad cannot keep depending on Marc Márquez to cover the bike’s shortcomings and indicated Ducati aims to be more competitive from Austin onward, using the Jerez test and the subsequent development window to validate changes and close the gap to Aprilia.

Sources