Aprilia under attack: Pecco Bagnaia in Rivola's sights

The waltz of MotoGP team presentations has already begun, ahead of the February test in Sepang. Behind the scenes, the rider market is already moving, with Aprilia intent on reconfirming both Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin. Honda has had its eyes on the Spaniard for some time and, with a multimillion-dollar offer, could lure away the 2024 world champion.

The Noale factory will take to the track to try to mount an assault on the world title. Not an easy feat against Ducati and Marc Marquez, but not impossible either. The RS-GP proved to be a competitive bike last MotoGP season, and that could convince its two riders to stay. Even though next year’s new regulations will shuffle the deck a bit and spring some surprises in the next market session. Honda has never hidden its desire to sign Martin, and now Marco has also become a target for many.

Bezzecchi’s signature seems almost a given, even if the Japanese manufacturers are said to have already swooped in on the VR46 Academy pupil. “With Bez we’re building something that could go down in history,” said CEO Massimo Rivola during the presentation. “We’ll certainly do everything possible to keep him, and I’d also like to keep Jorge. First we need to see him in action and understand how he’s doing.” Time can be an obstacle these days; waiting for the first Grands Prix could mean risking losing “Martinator.” “Maybe I’m forced to do it quickly because others are moving very fast. I know they’re offering a lot of money to our riders.”

Ducati is clearly the benchmark, the MotoGP prototype to beat. And Aprilia wants to try: “With number 93 on track, honestly I don’t know. Last year we won the final races, but Marc wasn’t on track. We don’t know what work the other manufacturers did over the winter. They’re still the reference, and we’ll do everything possible. We must respect everyone, but fear no one.”

How will the rider market move in the coming weeks? Rivola seems to have some fairly clear ideas. “Almost certainly Marc will stay at Ducati, Pedro has said he wants Ducati.” Pecco Bagnaia’s future is uncertain; he has always said he wants to stay with the Red. But never say never... “I don’t know; Pecco is a champion, he’s a temptation for everyone.” In the event of Jorge Martin’s departure, the Bagnaia–Bezzecchi pairing would be a perfect tandem for the Veneto manufacturer...