Aprilia delivered a statement weekend at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans, producing a dominant performance that reshaped the MotoGP title picture and put Ducati under renewed pressure.
The Noale-based manufacturer completed a historic 1-2-3 finish, led by Jorge Martín ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura from Trackhouse. The result strengthened Aprilia’s position at the top of the manufacturers’ standings and highlighted their growing control of the 2026 season.
The performance also pushed Aprilia riders to the top of the championship standings, reinforcing their status as the team to beat after a highly competitive start to the year.
Ducati riders were left analysing the performance gap, particularly in cornering and acceleration phases. Francesco Bagnaia pointed to Aprilia’s strong exit speed, noting their ability to accelerate aggressively out of corners. He also highlighted the need for Ducati to improve corner grip and overall drive to match the RS-GP package.
Fabio Di Giannantonio added another concern, focusing on front-end stability. He explained that Aprilia riders are able to commit earlier on corner entry under braking, while Ducati riders must manage the front more carefully to avoid instability. This limits attack options and forces greater reliance on the rear tyre, which impacts long-run performance.
Despite Aprilia’s dominance in Le Mans, Ducati have shown signs of recovery elsewhere. Alex Marquez’s win at Jerez provided a boost, with the Spaniard suggesting the team had taken a step forward in development. Bagnaia also noted that their pace in recent rounds has been closer to Aprilia than earlier in the season, even if results have not consistently reflected it.
With momentum currently favouring Aprilia, the MotoGP title fight remains open, but Ducati face a clear technical challenge as they work to close the gap in key performance areas.
