Di Giannantonio and Morbidelli: How Aprilia Has Overtaken Ducati

The duel between Aprilia and Ducati is shaping the 2026 MotoGP season. The years-long dominance of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer came to an end at the end of last year, coinciding with Marc Marquez’s injury in Mandalika. Aprilia has won five of the first eight Grands Prix, Ducati three. Fabio Di Giannantonio, the best Ducati rider, is third in the championship. His garage mate Franco Morbidelli is the one struggling the most (and with the least chance of continuing in the premier class).

For about a year now, “Diggia” and his brand-mates have highlighted the Desmosedici GP’s weak point: the front end. The VR46 team can count on a bike with factory specs, entrusted to the Roman rider. In the first eight races he has collected two podiums (Goiania and Jerez) and a win (at Montmeló), and he knows the Red’s Achilles’ heel well. "We need to improve the front end because it’s the key to maximizing performance. I think Aprilia is incredibly good in the corners at the moment. What helps them preserve the tires to the end is that they do what should be done with the front tire on corner entry... You never get the chance to ride as aggressively and precisely with the front wheel as Aprilia does right now."

A crucial difference for Di Giannantonio, which at this moment represents the real gap between Ducati and the RS-GP. And it’s the key to the success of Bezzecchi and Martin, both leading the overall MotoGP standings. The front-end problem has now become extremely urgent, as the competition has made huge strides—so much so that they had already overtaken Ducati toward the end of the 2025 season. "While Aprilia brakes more forcefully with the front wheel and uses the rear wheel on corner exit, we do everything with the rear wheel."

The numerous crashes and disappointing performances by Pecco Bagnaia can be traced back precisely to the precarious feeling with the front. There have been many setup changes to the Desmosedici, but so far without a definitive solution. For Marc Marquez, on the other hand, his talent takes over, sometimes managing to contain Aprilia’s charge. As at Balaton Park, where he bagged pole position, the Sprint, and the Sunday race win. "I can’t say precisely how much Aprilia has improved, because our bike works well, but I can’t exploit it to the fullest."

It’s a slightly different story for Franco Morbidelli, equipped with a revised GP24. But so far his best result has been an eighth place, in the first Grand Prix in Thailand. After that, the top 10 became a difficult target to reach, generating a certain frustration. In Hungary, the VR46 Academy rider earned his first Q2 of the season. However, once the lights went out, the euphoria quickly vanished. A disastrous start, compounded by a series of technical and setup issues, shattered any podium dreams.

The stakes are sky-high for Morbidelli. Once hailed as a future MotoGP champion, his recent seasons have been a succession of physical battles, team changes, and technical problems. 2026 was supposed to be the year of redemption; instead, it risks being his last year in the Top Class. The Italian-Brazilian can’t seem to find the infamous “performance window.”

It only takes the slightest mistake and the Ducati turns from predator into prey, unable to unleash its full arsenal on the starting grid. The real challenge lies in finding the best setup for his GP24. "Many things are difficult on this bike. The problem is managing to bring it into the right acceleration window... If everything works perfectly, you can be very fast. But making all the pieces fit is complicated."

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