Team Profile
From small-capacity strength to premier-class contender
Aprilia Racing is the Italian manufacturer’s MotoGP works team, with its development base in Noale. The brand’s Grand Prix history began in the 250cc class in 1985, followed by numerous champions during the 125cc and 250cc eras. Today’s RS-GP project carries that racing tradition forward, but with four-stroke prototypes developed specifically for the premier class.
Aprilia returned to MotoGP in partnership with Gresini in 2015, using competition as part of its bike development. In 2022, Aleix Espargaró took the brand’s first win of the modern MotoGP era in Argentina. By 2025, Aprilia had finished second in the constructors’ championship and Marco Bezzecchi third in the riders’ standings. This progression shows the RS-GP moving gradually from chasing the leaders to fighting for victories.
The RS-GP26 and manufacturer cooperation
The 2026 bike is the Aprilia RS-GP26. Official launch material identifies aerodynamics, chassis architecture, electronics and V4 engine development within the regulations as areas of improvement. The manufacturer leads this technical work; at race weekends, the team turns setup choices and rider feedback into track performance.
Aprilia also supplies Trackhouse, giving the manufacturer four full-time riders. The two teams organise their racing and score team points separately. Results on the same brand provide a useful comparison, while rider experience, setup direction and weekend execution remain distinctive to each team.
The 2026 line-up and team direction
The race riders are number 72 Marco Bezzecchi and number 89 Jorge Martín, teammates at Aprilia since 2025. Bezzecchi finished third in his first year with the team; Martín arrived as the 2024 MotoGP world champion, a title won with his previous Pramac Ducati team. Each brought different Ducati racing experience to the RS-GP project.
Racing division head Massimo Rivola and the technical team drive the project forward. At the 2026 launch, the team aimed to build on Bezzecchi’s established competitiveness and further develop its partnership with Martín. Keeping the line-up allows both sides of the garage to apply accumulated knowledge to the same bike platform.
What to watch
Watch whether both riders can sustain their pace over a whole race after reaching the front, and whether they can repeat that performance across different circuit types. Comparing Trackhouse’s results on the same weekend also helps assess the RS-GP’s overall competitiveness. As viewing analysis, qualifying advantage, tyre performance during the race and overtaking efficiency should be examined separately; one result alone cannot establish the effect of a technical upgrade.
Rider Line-up
Last checked: 1 October 2026 · Historical statistics and current points are maintained separately