Tardozzi responds to Rivola on Marquez: “The winning formula is the whole package, including team management.”

The Qatar Grand Prix ends with a war of words between Ducati and Aprilia. Speaking to Sky Sport MotoGP after the race in Lusail, Davide Tardozzi responded to Massimo Rivola, who had commented on Marc Marquez’s strength by saying that four Aprilias had not been enough to beat him. The Ducati team manager’s reply was courteous in tone, but its message was clear: one champion cannot win the World Championship alone.

Tensions between the two manufacturers were already running high after Saturday’s Sprint, when Aprilia Racing CEO Rivola expressed his frustration over Marquez escaping a penalty following his contact with Marco Bezzecchi, while Tardozzi rejected the idea that the number 93 deserved a sanction.

When Rivola’s comments were put to him, Tardozzi first turned the tally of bikes on track on its head, then broadened the discussion to encompass the entire structure behind the rider. Here was his reply: "Four Aprilias aren’t enough? Well, there are six Ducatis, and sometimes another Ducati has won too. So, congratulations to them on building an excellent bike. But I want to make one thing clear: it’s the whole package that wins. You need a fast rider, a champion like the one we have, a competitive bike, and sporting and technical management that works and can put the rider in a position to win the World Championship. So you need the whole package—including sporting management."

It all comes down to that final sentence. Rivola had identified Marquez as the real difference between Ducati and Aprilia, while Tardozzi shifted the focus to the organisation. It is hard not to read this as a reference to the management of the Noale team, which this year had a bike capable of winning but failed to keep the title fight alive.

Before addressing the controversy, Tardozzi opened the interview by praising his rider’s mindset. Marquez finished second in the race behind Bezzecchi, without trying to chase him down in the early stages. "I think Marc is not only very fast right now, but also very mature. Today’s race proves that. He adopted the perfect strategy because he knew full well that Bezzecchi, with the medium rear tyre, had a better race pace. That’s why he let him go in the opening laps, then, halfway through the race, tried to make up as much ground as possible to secure second place," the manager explained. In his view, it was "the strategy of a great champion, showing an awareness of his own abilities as well as respect for those of his rivals."

According to Tardozzi, that same composure enabled the Spaniard to fight his way back after falling 102 points behind the championship leader at Mugello. A "bitter defeat", which nevertheless became "the right fuel" to show what Ducati and Marquez were capable of. Marquez himself, as we reported in Marc Marquez, a big haul in Qatar: perfect strategy and a mind of steel, put off clinching the 2026 title: the next match point is at Portimao, where the rivalry between Borgo Panigale and Noale will continue off the track as well.

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