APRILIA MAKES RESTORING BAGNAIA’S FORM ITS NEXT MISSION

Aprilia has made restoring Francesco Bagnaia’s confidence and form a priority ahead of his move to the team in 2027. Sporting director Fabiano Sterlacchini says the aim is to bring back the rider the paddock knows, after two difficult seasons at Ducati.

Bagnaia’s results have declined since Marc Marquez joined Ducati in 2025. While Marquez took the title, Bagnaia struggled to find front-end feel on the GP25, won twice and retired from six of the final seven races. His 2026 campaign has been worse: he is ninth in the standings with four podiums and eight retirements. A 13th-place finish in Malaysia added to his frustrations, as he waits to leave Ducati.

The two-time champion is due to join Aprilia on a four-year deal, partnering Marco Bezzecchi. Sterlacchini has worked with Bagnaia before, including stepping in as his crew chief at Brno in 2019 when Bagnaia’s current crew chief, Cristian Gabarrini, was dealing with personal difficulties. “I do know him,” Sterlacchini told journalist Giovanni Zamagni, while noting that his role at Ducati was mainly to coordinate.

Sterlacchini described the signing as Aprilia’s third recovery project. The team first set out to help Bezzecchi after a difficult 2024, then focused on Jorge Martin at the start of 2026. “Looking at how 2025 went, we’ve succeeded, as we’ve seen this year too,” he said of Bezzecchi. Of Martin, he added: “I have to say we’ve succeeded.” Now, he said, “we have our third mission, which is to get Pecco back to being the Pecco we all know.”

Aprilia will hope a new environment and the RS-GP can help Bagnaia rediscover his best form. His challenge will be to rebuild after a period in which Marquez has dominated at Ducati: Marquez leads the championship by 44 points, while Bagnaia trails his teammate by 226. Bagnaia is also expected to be motivated to prove himself again after the difficult spell.

There may be an early technical hurdle. Enea Bastianini, who is also set to join Aprilia’s wider ranks next year, has said Bagnaia is at a disadvantage because he has yet to test the Pirelli tyres being introduced for the 2027 regulations. Bagnaia’s new chapter will therefore bring both the chance to reset and the task of adapting to a changed technical landscape.