– At the halfway point of the 2026 MotoGP season, Aprilia is the big surprise of the year. After eleven Grands Prix, Jorge Martin leads the world championship, Marco Bezzecchi remains within striking distance despite recent difficult weeks, and the satellite team Trackhouse is also regularly competing at the front.
Read more For the third time in a row: World Cup points for Audi again
Accordingly, Technical Director Fabiano Sterlacchini’s interim assessment of the first half of the season is positive, without concealing the known weaknesses.
The numbers underscore the upswing: After the German Grand Prix, four Aprilia riders are among the top six in the rider standings, and the RS-GP was at times the benchmark in Le Mans, Jerez, and Assen.
In particular, Martin’s double victory ahead of Bezzecchi in France underlined the project’s new competitiveness. In addition, MotoGP is experiencing a historically close title fight: The top 5 are separated by only 24 points after eleven races.
Sterlacchini: “A fantastic first half of the season”
Sterlacchini speaks of a development that had already begun last year. “I can confirm that it was a truly fantastic first half of the season,” says the Italian in an interview with MotoGP.com. They have not only maintained the performance increase from the last section of last season but have also been able to confirm the positive trend at the beginning of the year.
It’s not just about technical improvements to the bike. The overall package is crucial, including the team’s working methods and rider support.
“By the package, I mean not only what we’ve done to the bike but also the system we apply here to help riders continue to improve themselves,” explains Sterlacchini. Therefore, Aprilia “can be quite satisfied with the work we have done so far.”
The Rider as the Most Important Development Factor
When asked about the development process, Sterlacchini is reserved but offers interesting insights into the team’s philosophy. A central “mantra” in motorsport is that a good motorcycle alone is not enough.
Photo Gallery: From RS Cube to RS-GP: All Aprilia MotoGP Bikes since 2002
“If you have a good motorcycle, you have to get the rider to ride it in the perfect way,” he emphasizes. Aprilia analyzes exactly how riders interpret individual corners. “Sometimes you have a rider who rides a certain corner perfectly, but another one not optimally. Another rider is strong in almost all other corners but has problems in that one specific corner.”
The art is to combine these strengths and weaknesses and gain insights for the weekend. The goal is “to interpret all corners of the track as well as possible to extract maximum performance.”
Aprilia Technical Director Warns Against Complacency
Sterlacchini does not want to aggressively confirm that the RS-GP had a slight advantage over the competition in many phases of the first half of the season. The focus should not be on what has already been achieved.
Read more Despite grid penalty: Kimi Antonelli surprisingly on the podium
“We must not focus too much on what we have done. We must use all our mental energy to understand where we can still improve,” warns the Aprilia Technical Director.
While he admits that Aprilia is currently “squeezing the project and rider performance in a very good way,” he immediately adds: “In motorsport, it’s never enough.”
This attitude fits the recent situation, in which the factory team, in particular, fell behind. The Sachsenring remained a warning sign: While Trackhouse-Aprilia with Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez made it to the podium, Martin had to settle for fifth place. Bezzecchi was injured after a practice crash.
Clear Area for Improvement Identified: The Hard Front Tire
For the second half of the season, Sterlacchini has already identified a specific area of work. Fundamentally, they want to stick to the chosen path, as the results so far are proof that the methodology works.
“If you work with a certain method, bring evolutions, and prepare the races in a certain way, achieving good results, then that means the system works,” said the experienced engineer.
However, the RS-GP is not without its weaknesses. “It’s no secret if you look at our performances in races where the hard front tire was a bit at its limit, for example in Brno and Barcelona. We suffered a bit there,” explains Sterlacchini. The team is working intensively on this very point to become more consistent and resilient throughout the entire season.
Bagnaia “an exceptionally good rider”
When asked about 2027 and the arrival of Francesco Bagnaia, who will form a purely Italian factory team with Bezzecchi, Sterlacchini reveals with a smile who deserves the most credit for this coup.
“Our secret and our best selling point is Massimo,” he says, referring to Aprilia Racing Director Massimo Rivola. “He is really, really good at convincing people to believe in the project.” At the same time, he makes it clear what importance Bagnaia holds despite his current dip in form.
- Formula 1Who slept worst last night: Frederic Vasseur
- Formula 1Who slept best last night: Andrea Stella
- Formula 1Cadillac’s series of breakdowns is “more than concerning”
- DTMLeft front, right rear tire! Huge faux pas slows Thiim down
“It’s super easy to have faith in Pecco. He is a three-time world champion and clearly an exceptionally good rider.” That he is currently not going through an easy phase is not unusual in motorsport. “The important thing is to find new energy with a new project and take on a new challenge.”
Read more Suddenly Podium for Max Verstappen: “How the hell did we end up here?”
