Aprilia has emerged as a real threat to Ducati’s MotoGP crown this year, and there is speculation that Silvan Guintoli already has an upgrade in the works to combat the aerodynamic prowess of the Borgo Pangale.
Mark Marquez And Ducati The Italian constructor’s title-defending 2026 MotoGP campaign has gotten off to a disappointing start in recent years in the category.
as a Marco Bezecchi Ducati, which started the new term with a win, saw the bike’s feature on the podium come to an end in the 88 race.
A changing of the guard to start the season or just plain old? 🤔
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on the other hand, Aprilia They enjoyed their most successful racing season ever with all four bikes finishing in the top five under the checkered flag in Buriram.
It’s too early to tell if the results in Thailand will show a changing of the guard as to who has the best bike on the grid, and Ducati will be looking to reassert their dominance in MotoGP by introducing aero upgrades in the coming months.
Ducati were preparing aero upgrades at the Jerez MotoGP test, says Silvan Guintoli.
In a discussion about the recently concluded MotoGP test at Jerez last week, pundit Sylvan Guintoli Images suggested Michel Pirro He indicated that Ducati is testing a new upgrade for the team instead of the 2027 bike on the prototype.
When talking about a class Gas It Out Podcast“They are still working on the 2026 bike. Although the manufacturers are focused on 2027 and the new 850s and the new regulations, they are working on this year’s bike,” said the Frenchman.
Are people making too much of the Ducati’s lack of performance in one lap?
“The pictures we saw of Michel Pirro there, he was on Michelin tires, and it looked like the ride height device was activated on the exit of the last turn.
“Also, they seem to have a different aero package. So it looks like they’re trying to upgrade. So Ducati, obviously, no concessions, but they’re allowed one aero upgrade for the year.
“It was like a hybrid experiment where they had Michelin, but Pirelli was there, so they will definitely start experimenting with Pirelli.
“That said, they’re going to be using some special tires for MotoGP. So the tires we’re thinking about are a little bit different to what’s currently used in World Superbikes and what’s sold commercially.”
Aprilia is understood to have the best aerodynamics package on the 2026 MotoGP grid.
Aprilia hinted at their ambitions for 2026 at their launch event for the new RS-GP26 special earlier in the year.
Bezechi drew attention to the new show ‘Extremely Powerful’ Debuting on a 2026-spec prototype, it’s understood to be their secret weapon against Ducati’s dominance on the power unit side of things.
Then came that light during pre-season testing Aprilia introduced the F1-style f-duct on the RS-GP26an innovation banned from premier single-seater motor racing due to safety concerns.
The Italian constructor seems to have come up with a suitable solution to his concerns, and was one of the leading factors behind Bezzicci’s victory at the Buriram International Circuit in early March.
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