Aprilia believes the results it achieved during the 2025 MotoGP season were better than it expected after challenging Ducati head-on in the final part of the year.
Having been the only other manufacturer to beat Ducati to a race win the previous year, Aprilia closed the gap further to the Italian brand in 2025 as it introduced a heavily-revised version of the RS-GP.
New signing Marco Bezzecchi emerged as the star of its line-up, scoring his first victory in Aprilia colours at the British Grand Prix before taking advantage of Marc Marquez’s end to the year with back-to-back wins in Portimao and Valencia.
Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez also made big leaps by the end of the season, scoring his maiden win at the Australian Grand Prix and completing a first 1-2 for Aprilia in two years in the Valencia finale.
Even with 2024 champion Jorge Martin sidelined for much of the year due to multiple injuries and rookie Ai Ogura also missing races due to crashes, Aprilia still managed to outgun KTM and finish second in the manufacturers’ championship – securing its best-ever finish in the premier class.
When asked if Aprilia had met all its goals in 2025, technical chief Fabiano Sterlacchini said: “To be honest it is a bit more [than we expected] because for me it was reasonable [to expect that] with the riders that we have, without [suffering] any issues, to fight for something that was between the top 5 in the riders’ championship and try to be the second manufacturer.
“At the end, we probably overreached our target. So it is really good and it is better than what we expected.”
Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Hazrin Yeob Men Shah / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Ducati has now won the manufacturers’ championship for five years in a row, while Francesco Bagnaia, Martin and Marquez have won the last four riders’ titles between them on the Desmosedici.
Some believe that Aprilia could overthrow Ducati and become MotoGP’s new benchmark in the final year of the current regulation cycle in 2026, but data shows that the Noale marque isn’t anywhere close to matching the performance of its homegrown rival over an entire campaign.
Asked where Aprilia stands in relation to Ducati following the post-season in Valencia, where the former introduced a radical new aero package, Sterlacchini said: “I think that you asked the wrong question because there is just one way to increase your performance, and it is to improve your performance compared to your previous bike.
“Obviously, we are looking at our level now. It is super important that in 2026 we start at least at the same level in the way that we ended the [2025] season.
“We brought here some solutions, we used something aerodynamic, but we also tested a different frame with Jorge. We made some adjustments, more radical compared to what you normally do during [a race] weekend in preparation of the next season. We show that we have improved our level a lot and we are closer to the others.
“To be honest, looking at the performance of Honda and KTM, especially [Pedro] Acosta with KTM, [Joan] Mir and sometimes also [Luca] Marini, they show growth. We have to refer to the rest of the championship, not just to Ducati. But, as I said, we have to refer to our level and how to improve where we are.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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