– The Aprilia RS-GP26 is clearly the dominant motorcycle in the 2026 MotoGP season so far. Out of a total of 14 races (seven Grands Prix and seven sprints), the current Aprilia has won eight. World Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi won four Grands Prix, teammate Jorge Martin won one Grand Prix and two sprints. In addition, there is a sprint victory by Raul Fernandez on the RS-GP26 of the Trackhouse team.
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Last weekend was a home game for Aprilia, the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello. There, the manufacturer from Noale achieved victories in both races. In the sprint on Saturday, Trackhouse rider Fernandez prevailed, and in the Grand Prix on Sunday, Bezzecchi celebrated the much-cheered first home victory for himself and also for the Aprilia factory team. Teammate Martin completed the triumph with P2.
As Aprilia technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini explains, the reason for the strong performance at the Italy weekend was not a special Mugello setup or a very targeted approach within the team tailored only to Mugello. Rather, the technical director sees Aprilia’s great strength in another area.
“One drop does not make an ocean, but …”
“I never get tired of saying that it is extremely important not to overlook any single aspect,” says Sterlacchini and explains what he means: “Of course, we try to eliminate any weaknesses of the motorcycle. But at the same time, we try to improve the way we work during race weekends, because that is a very important point.”
“Sometimes things don’t go fantastically for us on Friday. But then we are able, thanks to our meetings, our analyses, our collaboration with the respective rider, to refine his riding style and the motorcycle settings, such as electronics.”
“The philosophy at the end of the day is always the same,” says the Aprilia technical director. Namely? “One drop does not make an ocean, but many drops certainly do. That is why we try to find as many drops as possible during a race weekend.”
Good balance more important than “something extreme for one track”
Specifically for the track layout in Mugello, the RS-GP26 was not developed exactly for this reason. Because Sterlacchini, who was the technical director at KTM before joining Aprilia, knows exactly that “the most important thing in motorcycle racing is a good base to work from”.
“And that also means that you sometimes have to reject certain modifications, namely when they are based only on the layout or grip level of a particular track. A stop-and-go course can of course never require the same as a track like Mugello. Likewise, the grip level on a track like Barcelona or for example Jerez demands very specific modifications.”
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Such modifications are not completely ignored at Aprilia. However, they only partially flow into the overall development of the motorcycle. Because “one of my missions when I came to Aprilia was to have a motorcycle that is competitive everywhere,” says Sterlacchini.
“And that is why we don’t even try to find something extreme that lets us perform extremely well on one track. Instead, we work on accepting deficits when necessary,” says the Aprilia technical director.
“Every time we make a decision, we make it with the vision, with the big picture in mind. It’s about the season as a whole and having a motorcycle that is as well balanced as possible,” explains Sterlacchini.
What gives Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola the most satisfaction
Massimo Rivola goes one step further. The CEO of Aprilia points out with satisfaction after the brand’s first home victory in the premier class from Noale: “In my eyes, this is confirmation that we are now strong on more or less every track. We have two excellent riders, each with their own strengths and favorite tracks. That makes me look forward with confidence.”
“But,” Rivola continues, “we always remind ourselves to keep both feet on the ground and do the work day by day. After we didn’t expect such a result here on Friday as we achieved on Sunday, I can only congratulate Fabiano and the team.”
“They did a great job together with the riders. Often we are not the strongest from the start, but in the end hard work pays off. That is what gives me personally the most satisfaction,” says Rivola.
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