“Aprilia’s Hostile Takeover.”
Welcome back to Part 2 of what’s the inevitable DRR Triple Header, forgive the delays, it’s been a long-ass week. In this episode, MotoGP headed to Austin, Texas to keep it weird for the third round of the 2026 World Championship. And in it, the last real hurdle for Aprilia to convince people that they have the best package in MotoGP, Marc Marquez kicking himself in the dick via an airfence, and the cherry on top of a banner day for Italian Sport. Let’s talk about it.
The Sprint: What The F*** Was THAT?!
Okay, this straight up was the most mental, ridiculous MotoGP Sprint race we’ve likely ever seen, and it was in the dry of all things.
Fabio di Giannantonio smashed the lap record to put his VR46 Jackson Pollock special on pole, but was dropped to fourth by Turn 1 by a fast starting Marc Marquez. Fabio got him back on the run up the hill, a bold but fair move. Now, what happens next is interesting. A lot more cynically minded people think Marquez had a red-mist moment and wanted to retaliate – It makes sense, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s done that, and many have already said that’s the best way to try and pass on these bikes, be quick and aggressive. Marc says he underestimated his speed going into the Turn 12 hard left handed given he had a three-bike slipstream, locked the front and then drops the bike, with Diggia being collateral on the outside.
I’m more prepared to give Marc the benefit of the doubt on this one. These modern day MotoGP prototype missiles hate braking when dirty air’s right in front of them, we’ve seen how catastrophic the consequences can be, Taka in Catalunya and Bez at Silverstone to name a couple. But he was rightly punished for causing a crash, and a long lap penalty was a fair punishment.
Meanwhile at the front, Pecco Bagnaia had a dream start from the front row and had a 1.5 second lead, with a keen group of Pedro Acosta and the factory Aprilia’s chasi- Oh, and down goes Bez again. It’s amazing that he’s been unbeatable in GP’s since October and yet the man CANNOT for the life of him handle a Sprint. Goes into Turn 11 way-too-hot and tucks the front from what we didn’t know at the time, was a golden opportunity.
Why? Because we didn’t know until right at the end that Bagnaia from the lead, had a rear tyre vibration that really ramped up in the final two laps. Jorge Martin absolutely butchered his advantage, and with half a lap to go, fired in a perfect block pass (Take notes Marc, gotta make sure the other guy’s still on track), and took his first win of any kind in nearly a year and a half. For perspective, here’s the last 3 laps from the Top 2:
Bagnaia: 2:02.3, 2:02.4, 2:03.6 / Martin: 2:01.8, 2:01.8, 2:02.4
I make that 2.4 seconds off just the final three laps. Eight tenths. Unplayable. No wonder Pecco said: “Fucking bastard, Jorge!”, it was 2024 happening all over again. A positive sign for Pecco, a wonderful comeback for Jorge, who went against Aprilia’s commands, going rogue in being the only man in the field to take the Medium rear tyre, and it paid off handsomely. He’s always been a maverick when it comes to decision making (And mostly getting it wrong), so it was about time he got one right… even if I think it was the vibration more than the tyre call. But ssssh, let him have it.
And I’ve barely even mentioned Joan Mir, who was pushing for a podium, crashed at Turn 1 on the final lap trying a hail mary on Pedro Acosta, not knowing Acosta was over the limit on tyre pressures and would have had a podium anyway if he just stayed upright. Man.
Emergency On Planet X
Why Planet X? Because that’s what planet consumable you unlock on Balatro when you play a Five of a Kind for the first time. It’s also the planet that Marco Bezzecchi’s racing from at the moment.
Bez had to start from P4 after catching a 2-place grid1 penalty for blocking Marquez in qualifying. He still led after half a lap with a contact-heavy block on the outside of Turn 11 on Pedro Acosta. He then led every single lap and never really looked like he was going to lose. It’s a familiar tale, ala most of his wins in this now five-race winning streak. Hit the front, hit that top-line pace hard and fast, and while the rest of the field beds in, you’ve got a one-second lead and are cruising.
Bez made history in this race. First of all, the obvious one – 121 consecutive laps led. It was a record briefly mentioned after Brazil that he was three away from Jorge Lorenzo’s four-race untouchable spell from Jerez to his home race in Barcelona that probably won him the title in 2015. He’s only the third rider of the post-2001 modern era of MotoGP2 to win five-straight. But he’s the only one to do so having led every single lap. It’s ironically very Lorenzo-coded. Hit the front. Set the metronome. Win.
Jorge Martin was only of only about three people who had the pace to challenge Bez. But his left arm was absolutely destroyed by the end of the race and he just ran out of outright stamina to put the clamps on late. Remember, this is just his tenth race weekend on an Aprilia outright, and he’s easily looking more and more like his 2024 title-winning form as we speak.
Pedro Acosta was up there, making shapes on the KTM like only he can. Was never more than a second and a half way, but was once again battling tyre pressure limits and he had to let Jorge Martin through to stay behind him instead. Like Marquez, we’re letting riders be intentionally passed for the sake of the rulebook. I love Michelin.
The other was Ai Ogura, who has sneakily been one of the best riders in the field this season. He treated seventh place like the floor was lava, and was looking great for a career-high fourth at worst, before a technical problem ended his day on Lap 15. Absolutely gut-wrenching bit of luck, so saddening Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola broke off from Aprilia’s celebrations just to apologise to Trackhouse personally. He’s a good man.
Why not, Bez?
Ducati Under Pressure
But where was Marc Marquez? Well, this weekend was the perfect blend of minor shit going wrong. I’d not even mentioned he had a huge crash at Turn 10 in FP1. Losing the rear over a newly developed bump3 at 115mph, sliding into the outside airfence and bringing out a red flag. No fractures, but a very ginger pair of arms. If anything, he joked that it was a distraction from his ongoing shoulder injury, which he still hasn’t 100% recovered from.
Marquez was already getting beaten up on track for his lack of pace, and that was before the Long Lap Penalty he had to take, dropping him to 11th. His pace in the back half was electric, carving his way back up to 5th, including an intense fight with his teammate, his brother, and Enea Bastianini on a rare good day of form. His pace was good enough to at least make the podium, but his early mistakes have proven costly, and have only been magnified by Ducati’s problems as a brand overall.
Their most consistent rider in 2026 so far, has been… Fabio Di Giannantonio. Now not to disrespect him as a rider, there’s few more dangerous when needing a job, but if you were betting on him before the season started you were probably getting 50/1 odds. That’s Grand National prices, not a serious investment. He’s been very good on the GP26 relatively speaking but not challenging for wins outright, rather podiums.
Alex Marquez has been a big disappointment when he rode like a genuine title contender in 2025. Pecco Bagnaia still only gives us flashes of his full potential and 2024 feels like a decade ago. Fermin Aldeguer gets a pass, he’s recovering from a broken leg. And the less said about Franco Morbidelli this season, the better. Ducati blowing up a lot of their rear guard for Marquez is starting to bite them now they don’t have a dominant package.
And then there’s Marc. His shoulder injury was six months ago now and he still looks like he’s nowhere near 100%. The man himself talked about being in an unfavourable riding position, but he’s also lacking the confidence in the GP26 to attack early. I think it’s why Marc was unstoppable last season at the very end of races, once the used rubber really kicked in. But it seems more exaggerated now. And with a clearly stronger field in front of him, it’s starting the show.
Now, there’s more to come from Marc… at least I think. He’s got a month off to rest that shoulder and also train to get nearer to 100%. But what IS that 100% at this point? Marc’s now 33, in Year 14 of his premier class career. He’s not got that Je’Von Evans “bounce” he had as a 20 year old. What is his physical maximum? Can he actually use the GP26 aero, the aero he’s avoided using because of the physical limitations he’s had, and the heavier feel on the bike.
So what does Bologna do? This is the final year of a regulation set, with 2027 right around the corner. Get that right and you could dominate for half a decade. Do you want to pull resources off that development path, to try and win one more title in the here and now? The Jerez test right after the Spanish GP might be the last chance for major 2026 upgrades, period.
Ducati’s been in development hell lowkey for a good two years and change, trying to chase the feeling the GP24 gave them. They were so far ahead of the field last season this just didn’t matter, but now everyone else has caught up and made huge gains on them while they’ve largely stood still. And for the first time in four years, they’re feeling the pressure, even more so when their talismanic rider they went all-in for, can’t make the difference he usually can right now.
And you see Aprilia right now, and they have no weakness. Fast in a straight line, they actually topped the speed charts in Austin – 353kph/221mph from Bez. They can turn the bike well, they don’t chew their tyres up anymore, it’s a rider-friendly package that benefits everyone, and they now have a rear-gunner in Martin, who looks like a contender again.
Can they do it with Marquez in the field, yes. Can they do it on a track with the standard Michelin rear tyre, Ducati’s bigger weakness? Yes. This was the final test, and they’ve aced it with flying colours. If they take Jerez in a month’s time, it’s going to hit Ducati like a truck.
For the first time since Pecco Bagnaia’s comeback in 2022, it’s game on in MotoGP.
The Lightning Round
Also wild – This was the first full race distance Marc Marquez has completed since he won the World Championship last September.
For those keeping score at home – 35 DNF’s in 60 Grand Prix weekends at Honda for Joan Mir. 18 out of 56 in the Sprints and they’re half distance. Now while they’re not all his fault, what does it matter when it comes to pace if you can’t see the chequered flag? He’s an immense talent, that’s why he still gets offers from people, but at some point, a team is going to say: “What’s the point if there’s a coin flip chance you’re crashing?” Not sure if Davide Brivio should be all that keen to have a family reunion. It’s giving big: “I can fix her”, energy.
Speaking of which, did Raul Fernandez con us this whole time? I thought the end of 2025 was finally the beginning of him turning a corner, and barring Thailand, he’s been the weakest of the four Aprilia’s. Very odd, and given it’s his fifth season, he hasn’t got a lot of excuses. At least Mir has the body of work argument…
Latest silly season rumours – Enea Bastianini and Dani Holgado to Gresini, and David Alonso straight to HRC alongside Fabio Quartararo. Very dangerous teams. Bastianini we know is an excellent proven weapon on a Ducati, so a homecoming is a natural fit. Ignoring everything I’ve said about Dani Holgado in the last two weeks4, he’s an S-Tier prospect and there’s no better landing spot for new rookies than Gresini.
As for David Alonso… Did you watch that Moto2 race? 18th to 4th in 8 laps? This kid is special. Sodding Aspar tyre pressures.
And of course, delighted for Senna Agius and the Dynavolt team. For Roby.
Oh yeah. Moto3. Won’t spoil it here, but it’s the best race I’ve watched in any form of Motorsport in 2026 so far. Genuine 10/10.
Did anyone spot that MotoGP’s social media team couldn’t help but lean into Jannik Sinner’s Miami Open win alongside Kimi Antonelli winning in F1 for the Italian vibes, but completely ignored Nicolo Bulega’s Portimao treble? Ouch. Says a lot about how World Superbikes feels in the new Liberty Media world… and probably for a good few years before that too. Forza Italia?
Oh, and Jorge Martin crashed doing a wheelie at 120 miles per hour after he won the Sprint. What a guy.
🤯 @88jorgemartin HAS CRASHED WHILE CELEBRATING #USGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/gZDmUBXSxr
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 28, 2026
Enea Bastianini gets the: “Why are you the way that you are?” award for the weekend. Because where the hell has THAT been since you joined KTM?!
First MotoGP point for Toprak. Was genuinely best Yamaha across the weekend too, even better than an experimenting Fabio. Good for him, he’s been working really hard and it’s a promising sign that he seemed to be at his best in a more conventional circuit environment. We’ll ignore him finishing 25 seconds off the win…
And finally… baggers. No capitals because I didn’t realise just how much Harley-Davidson is propping up the whole thing. A nine-bike series isn’t the most fun, no matter how fun the actual bike is. And it’s not lost on me that MotoE’s World Cup got dropped as a support series for baggers. Lol.
Sprint Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (Incredible) – Quite possibly the greatest MotoGP sprint of them all. Total carnage with Marquez and Diggia, the dramatics of Mir and Bez crashing out, the shock of Pecco winning, only for Martin to snatch it at the death. The GP’s themselves have been mid this season, the Sprints have been outstanding. This sport doesn’t make sense.
Grand Prix Rating: 6/10 (Decent) – The GP on the other hand, not so much. Bez is brilliant, but exciting racing on TV he does not make. It was drifting more towards a five, but the late fight between Bestia, Marc, Alex and Pecco bumped it up there a bit. Not quite the race I’d like to see in Texas, but they can’t all be winners. Go watch the Sprint and the other races, you’ll have more fun there. Month off, I’ll be seeing you in Jerez at the end of April. See you then.