Why Trackhouse believes Aprilia can topple Ducati in MotoGP 2026

Trackhouse boss Davide Brivio believes Aprilia has what it takes to dethrone Ducati and become the new benchmark in MotoGP, but admits that it won’t be an easy task.

Ducati has faced the sternest challenge to its dominance in years during the 2025 season, with Aprilia making massive strides with the RS-GP to pose a significant threat to its supremacy.

The Noale-based marque scored back-to-back sprint wins at Mandalika and Phillip Island, while it also dominated the Australian Grand Prix with Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez to cap a remarkable run of form.

Although the subsequent round in Malaysia proved difficult, Aprilia’s progress throughout the second half of the season fuelled the belief that the competitive order in MotoGP could shift before the next rules reset.

Asked if any manufacturer could topple Ducati in 2026, Brivio told Motorsport.com: “Yes, I think so. Of course, it's not easy. 

“Ducati is very strong and they also probably have some margin. But Aprilia is doing a good job. Aprilia is catching up and also KTM is catching up. Honda is improving and Yamaha next year will come with the V4. Of course, everybody has to try to catch up to Ducati.

“2026 is maybe a strange season. And then 2027, who knows, maybe it could be full of surprises, because when there are these big changes of regulation, there is also maybe a change of balance between manufacturers.

“Of course, Ducati remains the strongest manufacturer, the manufacturer to beat. But everybody wants to challenge [them].”

Davide Brivio, Trackhouse Racing Team Manager

Photo by: Qian Jun / MB Media via Getty Images

With seven podiums and two victories in Sunday races, Aprilia has cemented its grip on second place in the manufacturers’ standings heading to this weekend’s penultimate round in Portugal.

It has already surpassed its points tally from 2024, while also leaving arch rival KTM comfortably behind in the championship. 

While Aprilia’s progress this year has been remarkable, Brivio said he always had faith in the team’s ability to close the gap to its rivals.

“I'm not impressed in a way that [I'm surprised by the progress],” he said. “I know that there are good engineers working [at Aprilia]. 

“Fabiano [Sterlacchini] has arrived now; he's full of enthusiasm and he's very motivated. We have confidence in Aprilia. 

“I’m very positively impressed by the way that we were able to catch up. I think we did catch up. Maybe not every race, not every track, but in the track where we're strong, really, we've been a danger for Ducati.”