“2026 is supposed to be quite an interesting year for Aprilia Racing” Massimo Rivola, CEO & Team Director, Aprilia Racing

Aprilia Racing’s late-season surge has been fuelled by Marco Bezzecchi’s steady rise and Massimo Rivola’s clear vision for the team. After a demanding first half marked by a frightening crash in the Indonesian GP with current MotoGP champion, Marc Marquez. Bezzecchi has found his rhythm aboard the Aprilia. In this exclusive interview, he reflects on the turnaround and adaptation to the new bike, while Rivola discusses Jorge Martin's return, team dynamics, expectations, and Aprilia’s preparations for the upcoming regulation changes.

In conversation with Marco Bezzecchi, Factory Rider, Aprilia Racing

Team evo India: You’ve been having a stellar second half of the season, what’s changed? Is it the bike? Is it your mindset?

Marco Bezzecchi: “The mindset has been the same since the beginning of the year. We were able to improve the bike together with the engineers — that was the key point — but really, we’ve all improved together.”

TE: You’ve mentioned that the first half of the season was quite taxing owing to the fact that you had to solely develop the bike. Has the feeling since passed now that your performance is significantly better in the second half?

MB: “It’s true that the first part of the season was difficult because, unfortunately, Jorge was injured, and I only had Sava, who did a very good job, but we still struggled to achieve some good results. Anyway, it was important to keep working and learning day by day how was the bike and the feeling improved significantly.”

TE: What were the major things that you’ve had to recalibrate as a rider after switching from Ducati to Aprilia?

MB: “It’s always difficult to adapt to a new bike, but fortunately the feeling with the front end of the bike was fantastic. Aprilia has always been super strong in that area, so this helped me to gain confidence lap by lap and day by day. Of course, the bikes are different, but ours is very good.”

In conversation with Massimo Rivola, CEO & Team Director, Aprilia Racing 

Team evo India: With Martin's return and Bezzecchi's strong performance, how do you see the dynamic between your two factory riders evolving for the rest of the season and into 2026? What are your expectations for them as a team?

Massimo Rivola: “Unfortunately, Jorge’s injury in Motegi has slightly changed our plans for this part of the season. The priority now is for him to recover fully and return in the best possible shape, without rushing the process. I see instead Marco quite in a positive moment and with a strong understanding of the bike, so 2026 is supposed to be quite an interesting year for Aprilia Racing. I'm looking forward to see both riders fighting for top positions.”

TE: What have your expectations been from the 2025 season and is the team meeting it?

MR: “Obviously, before the start of the season the expectations were very high having the number one on the bike. But we know what happened, we missed so many races with Jorge and for sure the development of the bike was a bit slower than expected. At the same time, Marco did an excellent job, he got the lead of development, and he put us in a very strong condition. So, in a way, after what happened with injuries of Jorge, I think the expectations are more than fulfilled by Marco.”

TE: With the new regulations coming into effect for the 2027 season, how do you see Aprilia adapting. Are you already ready or are the new restrictions posing a serious challenge?

MR: “The challenge for sure is big because we are changing everything, as we said. I see Aprilia in a good position simply because now we are a very good company: from a technological point of view we're not lacking in any sector. I'm sure that the engine will be fine, the aerodynamics will be fine, the chassis will be fine, the electronics as well, and so on. Obviously when we start from zero, it will need a bit of time to understand where we are and where we have to push the most.”

Aprilia Racing has had a strong outing in the 2025 season and with just two races left in the current season, the 2026 season couldn’t come sooner. If all goes well, both Martin and Bezzechi will be ready to take the fight to the competition with bikes that have proved to be far better than previous seasons. It will be very interesting to see how the 2026 season pans out and more importantly how all the teams adapt to the new regulations of 2027.