Aerodynamics have become the biggest battleground in MotoGP, and one of the most interesting developments during the Thailand Grand Prix was a new device introduced by Aprilia.
First spotted during pre-season testing, it is effectively a copy of the F-duct concept championed by McLaren during the 2010 Formula 1 season.
On the MP4-25, an air channel at the front of the monocoque ran through the cockpit to the rear wing. There was an opening on the left-hand side of the cockpit, and when the driver covered it with his hand, airflow to the rear wing would stall. Depending on the length of the straight, the system allowed the car to gain up to 10kph in top speed.
Aprilia is now the first MotoGP team to adapt this device to a motorcycle. On one hand, the RS-GP generates strong cornering performance thanks to its diffuser-style side fairing. On the other, that aggressive bodywork had previously come at the cost of top speed.
Aprilia has now cut small ventilation slots into the fairing at the front, to the left and right of the air intake. On the upper section of the side fairing there are two openings positioned at the height of the rider’s forearms. When the rider tucks in on the straights, his forearms cover these inlets. This is said to trigger airflow separation along the side fairing, ultimately increasing top speed on the straights.
“You can clearly feel a bit more air on the straights,” factory rider Jorge Martin explained. “But honestly, for us riders it’s not a huge difference. I haven’t tried the bike without it. For me, as soon as I got on, it was already like this – with the new aero.
“The bike works well. Whether it’s because of that or not, I don’t know, but it suits me. The only thing I notice is a bit more air on the straights, and I actually like that, because in these conditions you sweat a bit less.”
Aprilia and Ducati were the fastest bikes in a straight line at Buriram, both clocking 345kph in the speed trap.
Aprilia’s engineers have yet to comment publicly, but factory team manager Paolo Bonora told MotoGP.com: “We took a lot of time to evaluate the different aerodynamic solutions between the 2025 and 2026 versions. We quickly confirmed that the 2026 bike was better. With the 2026 bike we tested many different aero parts, and in the end this first homologated aero package was the result.”
The forearm covers the air duct
Photo by: Alessandro Giberti/Anadolu via Getty Images
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– The Autosport.com Team
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