Aprilia revolutionizes MotoGP: new F1-style aerodynamic concept

Something has changed at Aprilia over the last twelve months. After a rocky start to the 2025 MotoGP season, the Noale squad overcame the difficulties and finished last year as a title contender. Credit goes to Marco Bezzecchi who, in the absence of the more experienced Jorge Martin, knew how to take the reins of the RS-GP.

The 2026 Championship started in the best possible way for ‘Bez’ and Aprilia, putting two riders on the front row and ‘Martinator’ on the second. At the end of last season we witnessed a steady rise from the Veneto machine, to the point that Marco scored a podium and two wins in the last four races. Now the VR46 Academy rider seems able to go toe-to-toe even with Marc Marquez’s Ducati, as evidenced by the winter tests and the start of the Thailand Grand Prix.

What have the Noale engineers changed in recent months? The technical director, Fabiano Sterlacchini, explained that the new prototype is simply the result of previous work. "This is the fruit of the work we carried out over the winter with Marco and the whole team, generating innovation and solutions. It’s certainly premature to say ‘Okay, the weekend is done,’ because we need to understand the fuel consumption and tire wear typical of this circuit. But we have a good base."

One innovation that is certainly catching the eye is the “F-duct” aerodynamic concept, borrowed from an idea once used in Formula 1. When the rider tucks in on the bike, with elbows resting, he can close two ducts that route the air inside the fairing to reduce the wing’s aerodynamic drag. A trick likely used to gain something on the straight. In Formula 1 the system was introduced by McLaren in 2010, but was later banned as it was deemed dangerous.

In this way, Aprilia could extract additional performance, while engine development is frozen until 2027. The MotoGP season seems to have started well for the team led by Massimo Rivola, despite Bezzecchi’s crash in the Buriram Sprint, and it hints at their plans for the future. Aprilia wants to win its first MotoGP title in short order. And the signing of Pecco Bagnaia from 2027 is a clear warning to all rivals.