There are zero guarantees that Aprilia’s current rampant performance will carry through into MotoGP’s 2027 rules and Pirelli tyres era.
But right now, if you want a rider-friendly, confidence-inducing bike that’s a safe bet to be either the benchmark machine or a close second-best at every race, Aprilia’s RS-GP is your pick. And given Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura’s results this year, that’s as true of the satellite Trackhouse Aprilias as the works bikes.
Ogura is exiting for a factory Yamaha seat next year, with Enea Bastianini believed to joining from Tech3 KTM to take that ride.
But there’s no certainty Fernandez will stay on. He seemed particularly glum on that topic, even immediately after his commanding Mugello sprint win last month.
The situation is complicated by the impending team leadership change at Trackhouse, with team principal Davide Brivio leaving for Honda and ex-Pramac and KTM team boss Francesco Guidotti tipped to replace him, but team owner Justin Marks is believed to be leading 2027 rider calls for now.
Trackhouse is understood to have three options in mind.
Has Raul Fernandez bloomed too late?
After years of Fernandez not living up to his huge Moto2 promise in MotoGP but being given the benefit of the doubt by supporters such as Brivio and Aprilia works team chief Massimo Rivola, Fernandez is now in jeopardy just as he’s finally become a reliable frontrunner.
Whether Brivio’s exit has cost Fernandez a key backer or not, Fernandez certainly gives the impression that it has done.
He sounded slightly more positive about his 2027 prospects in the last round at Balaton – but it wasn’t clear whether that was due to his Trackhouse chances improving or finding an alternative (potentially an unlikely return to the Tech3 team, where he had such an unhappy rookie season).
On current form, there’s no real case to replace Fernandez. But this may simply be a relationship that’s run its course, and Trackhouse may want a more dependable presence than Fernandez has been until recently.
It might also be telling that his breakthrough has only come when Aprilia became the benchmark bike.
Is Gonzalez becoming too good to overlook?
Until recently, the increasingly commanding Moto2 championship leader looked like he wouldn’t be among the ample Moto2 graduates landing in MotoGP next year.
The fact he’s in his fifth Moto2 season counted against him. But it probably shouldn’t – if he keeps up this form, it’ll be his third straight year in the championship top three, and his trajectory feels reminiscent of Johann Zarco’s rise towards MotoGP.
Plus while he’s been in Moto2 a while, he’s still only 23, and arrived there not via Moto3 but the Supersport scene.
The fact Trackhouse is one of his suitors is significant because it has already tested him on its MotoGP bike last year – so its decision is coming from data that must give it faith he could quickly adapt.
Is that enough to supplant a race winner such as Fernandez, or to squeeze one of the many in-jeopardy MotoGP stalwarts off the grid? Is Gonzalez flattered by how strong his Intact team’s 2026 Moto2 form is?
This will not be a ‘get this rising mega-star on the MotoGP grid ASAP’ clear-cut case, nor a travesty if Gonzalez doesn’t make it for 2027. But he’s getting much harder to overlook.
Marini’s options are thinning
Luca Marini is poker-facing his way through the silly season, talking as if there’s no rush to decide his future – yet Honda has filled its seats with Fabio Quartararo and David Alonso plus LCR incumbents Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco.
Had Honda snared Tech3 from KTM, there might be an in-house alternative for Marini, but there isn’t now.
Renowned for his development contributions and being ‘Mr Dependable’ when it comes to bringing home points, Marini is an asset any manufacturer would have an eye on – though this seat is Trackhouse’s call, not Aprilia HQ’s.
That caveat also applies to the school of thought that, with Ducati going all-Spanish for its 2027 works line-up (Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta), Aprilia might revel in going all-Italian across its line-up with factory pair Marco Bezzecchi and Pecco Bagnaia, plus Bastianini and Marini at Trackhouse.
Does it need four Italians to get that home PR rush when it already has three, including both its works riders, though? Surely not.
There’s also a constant doubt about Marini’s outright raw pace. His qualifying record against current Honda team-mate Joan Mir (who’s heading for Gresini next year) is poor.
Marini’s contribution to Honda’s turnaround is clear, but you’d look to the rest of the Honda regular line-up for headlines and fireworks.