Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola believes the 2026 MotoGP championship battle will go right down to the wire, but has declared Marc Marquez the favourite as the season hits its halfway mark.
Earlier in the year, few would have predicted Marquez’s resurgence. The reigning world champion was trailing by a massive 102 points after the Italian Grand Prix, hampered by ongoing right shoulder injuries. However, since Mugello, Marquez has turned the title race on its head—winning three grands prix and taking full advantage as former points leader Marco Bezzecchi endured a dramatic drop in form.
After the German Grand Prix, Marquez has slashed the deficit and now sits just 18 points behind current leader Jorge Martin. While Aprilia looked to be the team to beat at the start of the season, Ducati has closed the gap as the summer break arrives.
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Rivola stressed that Aprilia isn’t obsessing over championship standings. “As I’ve always said from the beginning, we don’t look at the standings, and even less so now,” he explained. Rivola remains confident in Aprilia’s rider line-up and the competitiveness of their bike, but admits Marquez is now “the favourite” for the title.
“We know there’s a guy named Marc Márquez who clearly has the advantage in all the predictions; he’s the favourite, but we’ll never give up,” Rivola said. He anticipates a thrilling battle that could be decided in the very last race, calling it “fantastic to be part of an all-Italian challenge for a world title of this calibre.”
Both Ducati and Aprilia have enjoyed multiple race winners this year. Aprilia’s four wins have come courtesy of Bezzecchi, Martin, and Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura, while Ducati has celebrated victories with Marquez, VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio, and Gresini’s Alex Marquez.
With the second half of the 2026 season still to play out, all eyes are on Marquez as the championship fight intensifies.
