Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola thinks Ducati will “fight harder” than Noale’s outfit on the mid-rear Michelin tire, but their “advantage” may only be temporary.
Ducati The natives of Borgo Panigale have had a difficult start to the season by their standards. The Bullets of Bologna are suffering from their longest winning drought since going five-and-a-half years without a Grand Prix victory between 2010 and 2016, having gone five years without a win.
rather than Aprilia They have won each of the last five Grand Prix Marco BezecchiHe won the final two rounds of the 2025 season and opened 2026 with a perfect record. Bezeci set a new record by leading every lap of the last five Grands Prix.
Bezeci also leads his Aprilia team-mate. George Martin The 2026 riders’ standings are 81 and 77 points ahead of the weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix. VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio is the leading Ducati rider but fourth on 50 points from KTM’s Pedro Acosta on 60.
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Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola Thinks Ducati Will ‘Struggle’ On Mid-Rear Michelin Tires
Di Giannantonio is also the only Ducati rider to score a Grand Prix podium this season, P3 in Brazil. KTM rival Acosta was in P2 with Bezecichi and Trackhouse ace Raul Fernandez in P3 in Thailand. In fact, Acosta completed the rostrum in the US with a P3.
Read more: Ducati’s top five riders, including Marc Marquez and Peco Bagnaia
This year Ducati’s best results have been in the Sprint Races Mark MarquezAfter penalties, Buriram finished second and won in Brazil. Aprilia CEO Rival Michelin likes the softer tires so the Sprints feel it suits the Ducati, but the mediums suit the Aprilia in the Grand Prix.
Rivola said. Motorsport.com: “Ducati definitely didn’t lose. They finished first and second in the sprints.”
“I think the way we use the tires, when we have a little more edge in the middle, the softer tires have a little advantage over us.
“So them fighting back a bit in the race might give us an advantage, but it’s probably only temporary. I think it’s going to be a fantastic championship.”
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Acosta “didn’t feel like a winner” in the Buriram Sprint. Marquez’s penalty forced the KTM rider onto a wide lap as the 21-year-old claimed his first victory in MotoGP. Marquez won the Sprint in Brazil, but his P4 at that Grand Prix was his best feature race result.
Di Giannantonio finished the Thai Grand Prix in P6 as the leading Ducati Ace, but won for Aprilia by 16.845s from Bezeci. The VR46 star was the top Ducati in Brazil and the US on medium tires, but finished with 3.780s and 6.972s from Bezecchi.
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