Aprilia arguably boasts the strongest line-up of any team on the 2026 MotoGP grid, but it has to deploy different operational and psychological strategies to get the best out of riders Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin.
The Noale-based marque recruited the pair from Ducati ahead of last season, but both made the switch during vastly different phases of their respective careers.
Martin joined Aprilia as the reigning champion after beating factory rider Francesco Bagnaia in 2024. Yet, he needed to feel valued in his new environment after being publicly snubbed for a promotion to the factory squad in favour of Marc Marquez. Bezzecchi, on the other hand, moved to Aprilia seeking redemption after a tough 2024 campaign in which he looked like a shadow of his former front-running self.
The contrast between the two, however, extends far beyond their career trajectories. Their core personalities and operational methods inside the box are fundamentally distinct.
There is no better person to dissect the internal dynamic than Aprilia technical chief Fabiano Sterlacchini. While better known as the engineering mastermind behind the current RS-GP, his managerial skills and in-depth knowledge of Aprilia’s inner workings give him a unique perspective on what makes both riders tick.
Sterlacchini described Bezzecchi as a methodical operator who gradually builds speed over a race weekend through hard work and determination.
“I think that Marco is a super complete rider,” the Italian engineer told Motorsport.com in an exclusive interview. “In the moment it is important to perform, he can find in himself the exclusive performance that is needed.
“One of the peculiar characteristics of Marco is in the way that he’s building the performance. So, when he’s arrived to a level it’s not by chance or for a case. but it’s because behind there is a huge amount of work putting every brick together.”
Fabizno Sterlacchini is technical cheif at Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Martin, on the other hand, relies heavily on natural talent and raw aggression – a trait Aprilia doesn’t view as a weakness, but as a weapon. If anything, Sterallachini is convinced that the Spaniard can only unlock his true potential by channelling that fierce energy in the right direction.
“Jorge is a bit different because he is super explosive and also someone who overthinks,” Sterlacchini explained. “So, me and the guys in the garage try to lead him to control this super explosive energy, to try to find the direction where we have to go.
“It’s super important that once you have the fire, you don’t reduce the fire, but you redirect the fire.”
Important role in development
Aprilia has emerged as MotoGP’s dominant manufacturer in 2026, having surpassed previous benchmark Ducati over the winter.
While Aprilia’s rapid rise is in no small part to the technical team led by Sterlacchini, and the guidance of team boss Massimo Rivola, having two top riders accelerated its progress to the front.
Among the pair, the technically-savvy Bezzecchi has played the biggest role in the development of the RS-GP. While Martin missed the majority of the 2025 season due to injuries, Bezzecchi pounded out the laps and gave his engineers the data they needed to iron out the last remaining weaknesses of the bike.
But it’s the sheer depth of his feedback that makes Bezzecchi stand out from the competition. The 27-year-old has the mental capacity to explain problems in detail, and he shows a clear inclination to work together with engineers in finding the right solutions.
“There are riders who, after explaining the problem, say ‘okay I told you [everything], you have the data’. That’s it,” Sterlacchini said.
Marco Bezzecchi leads the standings so far in 2026
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
“With Marco, it is super easy for him to say, ‘OK, but I would like to address it a bit more in detail the problem that you describe here’. At this moment, it is like Marco has switched to another CPU.
“He describes all the manoeuvres and tries to identify what is exactly happening step by step, from the first moment of braking, to arriving [to the corner] and to the exit. You can identify where the problem is. Not where the problem is, but also what kind of problem it is. This is super useful to develop the bike.
“I believe some of this attitude could be in his DNA but also probably come from his path and his mentor. I’ve said several times that in several aspects Marco reminds of the way that Valentino was working.”
Bezzecchi’s technical prowess makes it easy for Martin to follow his team-mate’s direction, particularly during periods this year where he didn’t feel at one with the bike.
But while the Spaniard may lack the technical knowhow of Bezzecchi, he more than compensates for it with his outright speed.
His dominant double win over the French GP weekend was a massive statement of intent, as he outgunned Bezzecchi in a Sunday race for the first time this year. For many, that performance made him the new favourite for the 2026 title, but some costly mistakes since then in Barcelona and Balaton Park highlighted a lingering lack of consistency.
For Aprilia, the fact that Martin is already racing at the sharp end of the pack after a wretched 2025 campaign is itself a commendable achievement.
“We are not surprised about his talent,” said Sterlacchini. “But the path from the start to the performance that we obtained in the last races, clearly the ramp up has been super, super deep.
Jorge Martin is racing at the sharp end of the pack
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
“This is the characteristic of Jorge because he’s super explosive and he can express his talent in a really short time.”
Each has their own riding style
Sterlacchini revealed that there are no major differences in the way Aprilia sets up the bikes for Bezzecchi and Martin. However, that doesn’t mean that they share the same riding style.
“Marco is a kind of rider who manages the braking phase a lot, and ‘cleans’ the entry and the exit,” Sterlacchini explained. “Jorge is a kind of rider who is a bit more ‘dirty’ in the braking phase, but then he can exploit characteristics of the motorcycle better at the exit with his movement and with his body.
“Part of this is coming also from the physical shape of the rider. Obviously, the shape and the weight of the rider has a huge influence in the behaviour of the bike. I believe they try to make their behaviour on the bike suit considering their characteristics in terms of physical shape.”
The differences between Martin and Bezzecchi’s approach will play a key role in determining the outcome of the title race. Bezzecchi currently has the upper hand in the championship, having won four out of the eight grands prix so far and amassed a total of 180 points. But Martin is only 20 points adrift in the standings, and keen to capitalise on Bezzecchi’s own occasional bouts of consistency.
How they will race together – and against each other – will become one of the most fascinating storylines of 2026.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: motorsport.com
