lenger. Despite an engine
freeze for all three Euro-
pean factories, engineers
have been working further
on the performance of its
Desmosedici motor. The air
intake, the lubricant oil it
uses, and the new aerody-
namic package, which will
reduce drag, have all been
addressed, according to Da-
vide Barana, Ducati Corse's
technical director.
Plus, a new chassis will
aim to reduce vibration
brought about from Mi-
chelin's rear tire that was
first introduced in 2024, and
a new, sophisticated ride
height device will aim to fur
-
ther improve acceleration.
Aprilia
Coming off its most suc-
cessful MotoGP season to
date, Aprilia boss Massimo
Rivola and lead rider Marco
Bezzecchi are aiming high—
but stopped short of predict-
ing a title challenge at the
factory's team presentation
in Milan.
2025 brought unprec-
edented success: 19 podi-
ums, four race wins (and
three Sprints), plus an Aprilia
rider in the top three in the
championship for the first
time. And Rivola insisted the
aim is to kick on and achieve
even greater success this
time around.
VOLUME ISSUE JANUARY , P89
"Some riders will close [the deal] al-
ready before the first race," said Mar-
quez. "It's true that I'm one of them;
we are in conversations, but I need to
analyze everything—what is the best
for my professional and personal life."
As he did for much of last year,
Bagnaia took something of a back-
seat in the contract talk. "After my
season from last year, I just want to
be focused on riding," he said. "And
then what will happen will happen. But
I just want to feel race by race, and
then we will start speaking about it."
Having disconnected completely
from the sport after November's finale
outside Valencia, Bagnaia spent a
chunk of the winter leaning on the ex-
perience of two confidants—Valentino
Rossi and trainer Carlo Casabianca.
Their advice helped overcome the
crushing disappointment of finish-
ing fifth overall in a truly dispiriting
season, when he was genuinely con-
cerned for his illustrious teammate at
just one of the 22 rounds.
"You just have to be happy and
enjoy the moments, because you
never know," Bagnaia said of what
he took from those conversations
with his mentor, Rossi. "I spent four
seasons at the top, first and second in
the championship, always achieving
great results, and last year when I was
struggling a bit and I didn't achieve
what I was aiming at, when I was
finishing third or sometimes fourth, I
was too critical with myself.
"Sometimes you just need to take
the positive from the situation and
just try to analyze things better. Even
if I was struggling, I wanted to win,
and if you are struggling, it's difficult
to win. So you just need to be more
calm, work well, and try to perform in
a better way."
Ducati also revealed some interest
-
ing details regarding its 2026 chal-
Ducati has opted for a more aggressive
colorway for 2026.
