After Aprilia’s recent victory at the French Grand Prix, Ducati riders have identified the key advantages of the Noale brand, highlighting traction and corner entry as their major skills.
While Alex Marquez provided Ducati with their first victory of the 2026 season in Jerez, Aprilia dominated in Le Mans with Jorge Martin leading alongside his teammate Marco Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura, resulting in a historic 1-2-3 podium.
This message not only solidified Martin and Bezzecchi’s positions in the riders’ standings but also resulted in a 34-point extension for Aprilia in the constructors’ standings over Ducati.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati rider, expressed his impression of the corner exit speed shown by Bezzecchi, noting that “when I was behind him [Bezzecchi], I could see how much speed they can maintain on the exit.”
Bagnaia added that grip in the corners needs to improve and that following Bezzecchi during the race allowed him to identify aspects to improve in electronic controls.
On the other hand, Fabio di Giannantonio from VR46 has emphasized that the Ducati of 2026 still has shortcomings in front-end feel, which forces riders to rely too much on the rear clutch.
Di Giannantonio commented that “Aprilia has a much better front. They can brake in the same way we do, but with more precision.” This performance difference translates into a challenge for Ducati, which must always be vigilant about front tire precision.
Despite the challenges, Ducati showed optimism after the race, with Alex Marquez and Bagnaia agreeing that the tests in Jerez marked a turning point. Marquez stated: “I think that after Jerez we have more chances to fight with them.”
Bagnaia added that, despite his crashes, the Le Mans race was the closest to Aprilia in speed since the start of the season, highlighting the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and continuing to work.
Di Giannantonio expressed his confidence, stating that Ducati is not that far from Aprilia and that they can still fight for the title, emphasizing that the goal is to be competitive until the end of the season.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_432d62ba6cb94571f9bae44f0db49a866ad4c3ef