Rivola rallies the troops: Aprilia takes aim at Ducati

Aprilia takes advantage of Marc Marquez’s absence and clinches its second victory of this MotoGP championship with Marco Bezzecchi. The VR46 Academy rider brilliantly compensates for the injury of his teammate Jorge Martin, who at the start of the season was considered more likely than the young rider from Romagna. But the Noale-based manufacturer has discovered it has a top talent within its ranks.

The Portuguese GP turns into a celebration ground for Aprilia and Bez. It won’t change the outcome of the Championship, but it’s a shot of confidence heading into the next MotoGP season. "When you have a rider so willing to work and listen, eager to build a team and to win, everything becomes much easier," admitted Massimo Rivola to Sky Sport MotoGP. "It’s a much more mature Bez than at the start of the year, but we’re not here to settle. There’s a working group that collaborates very well."

Marco Bezzecchi now has a firm grip on third place in the riders’ standings, 35 points ahead of Pecco Bagnaia. With one race to go, it takes very little to lock in a position that seemed impossible at the beginning of the season. Aprilia is trying to shift up another gear with the arrival of Francesco Ventura as crew chief. "He has a lot of experience. There’s also a good human connection, and that’s never a given," added the Venetian manager.

Eyes are on 2026, on the evolution of the next bike, on the return of the ‘Martinator’... time to dream a little. There’s both the right and the duty to do so, against a Ducati that seems to be losing a step and becoming more reachable. "We have a better bike because we are one of the best companies," Rivola concluded. "The bike is the result of the work of Sterlacchini and the entire group; in Noale we have a top-level technical department... In 2026 I know we’ll have an RS-GP26 better than today’s."