From Argentina to Mandalika: The path to Aprilia’s ultimate MotoGP race result

From Argentina to Mandalika: The path to Aprilia’s ultimate MotoGP race result

How last-lap heartbreak turned the Bathurst 1000 on its head

Why Antonelli avoided a penalty despite four track limits incidents in Singapore GP

Five things we learned from MotoGP’s brutal Indonesian Grand Prix

‘Senior moment’ or breakdown of trust? The implications of Hamilton’s Singapore GP meltdown

DTM Hockenheim: Engel wins race 2 as Preining secures championship

Verstappen jokes about coded messages as Red Bull phases in Lambiase’s successor

Feature MotoGP Indonesian GP From Argentina to Mandalika: The path to Aprilia’s ultimate MotoGP race result As Aprilia ticks off its first top-four sweep, we revisit the highlights on the way to that milestone – and track the contrasting fortunes of Italy’s other MotoGP factory Richard Asher Published: Oct 12, 2026, 11:21 AM Copy link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on Linkedin Share on Pinterest Share on Viber Add as a preferred source Following a sweep of the first four positions with its quartet of entries, Aprilia has now ticked off the best possible race result it can achieve in MotoGP.

In terms of hard outcomes, the story of Aprilia as a winner in the premier category begins with Aleix Espargaro’s breakthrough in the 2022 Argentinean Grand Prix.

From that day on, it was a gentle ascent to the peak it scaled at Mandalika over four years later – albeit with a spurt as the summit approached.

After a second Espargaro win at Silverstone in 2023, Aprilia began to register all-round team results. The first of these came in the shape of a 1-2, which factory riders Espargaro and Maverick Vinales secured in Barcelona later that year.

Aprilia couldn’t build on that with another 1-2 in 2024, when the only win was Vinales’s runaway showing in Austin.

It was only after Marco Bezzecchi’s win at Silverstone in 2025 that Aprilia embarked on the consistent form that led it to ultimate team glory at Mandalika last Sunday.It took until the finale at Valencia last year for Aprilia to add a second 1-2 to its resume, as Bezzecchi led Raul Fernandez across the line. That result was a sign that Trackhouse had front-running potential with its satellite bikes – a fact that has taken Aprilia results to the next level as 2026 has unfolded.

Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing, Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

A technical problem for Ai Ogura in Austin robbed the manufacturer of what would likely have been its first podium sweep in round three of the championship – but the wait for that dream to become reality would not be a long one.

Two races later, at Le Mans in France, Ogura brought the Trackhouse bike home behind the factory duo of Martin and Bezzecchi for a glorious 1-2-3.

While Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia spoiled hopes of a home podium sweep with his third place at Mugello, Aprilia did manage to repeat the feat at Assen in late June. This time, Ogura was the winner, with Fernandez second and Martin third.

The only box that still needed ticking was a top-four sweep. But following Mandalika, Aprilia now has that one in the bag too.

While Aprilia’s star rose gently and then exploded in 2026, Ducati’s has been in reverse over a similar time period.

In a remarkable streak that stretched from 2021 until this year’s Thai Grand Prix, the Bologna manufacturer had at least one representative on every grand prix podium.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Thanks to a mixture of performance and numbers, big sweeps for Ducati were commonplace for much of that time. But its last top-six sweep to date came at Phillip Island in 2024. And you have to go back to last year’s Italian GP for its last top-four lockout.

This year, as Aprilia has surged to prominence and KTM’s Pedro Acosta has added regular cameos, even podium sweeps for Ducati have become rare. This season there has only been one, in Catalunya, when Fabio Di Giannantonio won ahead of Fermin Aldeguer and Bagnaia.

MotoGP will come in for something of a reset next season, when all the manufacturers will field 850cc bikes, on Pirelli rubber, in accordance with the new rules set.

Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.

Richard Asher is a freelance sports journalist with ancient links to Autosport. He takes care of the website’s online MotoGP coverage and also does regular shifts on its news desk. He also pulls a sub-editor shift for the Autosport print magazine now and then.

The South African journalism graduate first came to the attention of the editorial team via a young journalist competition in 2002. The following June he helped cover Bentley’s Le Mans win, and by autumn he was on the staff.

Over the next four years, his main focus was covering the British Formula 3 Championship – though A1GP, sportscars and editing the National section also kept him busy. Most weekends off were spent showing his ineptitude at the wheel of Formula Vee or Stock Hatch machinery in UK club events.

Having vowed not to get ‘stuck in motorsport’ for life, he returned to Cape Town in 2008 to edit Golf Punk magazine. The sports junkie’s freelance career since then has seen him cover golf, cricket, rugby and (inevitably!) motorsport.

After further globetrotting, including a stint as a truck driver in the Australian Outback, he now resides on the mighty plains of far eastern Austria.

Among other things, Asher also commentates on Guerilla Cricket, writes the Posh Sports Precinct on Substack and has published several travel books.

For the full overview of his many activities, as well as a CV video, visit his website. You can also stop by his LinkedIn profile.

Five things we learned from MotoGP’s brutal Indonesian Grand Prix

Bezzecchi brushes off Fernandez’s anger after Indonesian GP sprint crash

MotoGP Indonesian GP: Marquez takes points lead with sprint victory

MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix: Fernandez on top as Aprilia dominates

Michelin bans soft compound for MotoGP Japanese GP

MotoGP Japanese GP: Marquez defeats Moreira for sprint victory

Live: MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix as it happens

From Argentina to Mandalika: The path to Aprilia’s ultimate MotoGP race result

How last-lap heartbreak turned the Bathurst 1000 on its head

Why Antonelli avoided a penalty despite four track limits incidents in Singapore GP

Five things we learned from MotoGP’s brutal Indonesian Grand Prix

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

Get quick access to your favorite articles

Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

Make your voice heard with article commenting.