APRILIA LEAVES TEAM ORDERS OPEN AS DUCATI RESPONDS IN TITLE FIGHT

Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez have rejected suggestions that a gathering of Aprilia’s four MotoGP riders at Phillip Island was a discussion about team orders.

The question follows Aprilia’s dominant weekend in Indonesia. After Bezzecchi and Fernandez collided at Turn 1 in the Sprint, Jorge Martin lost the lead because of tyre-pressure concerns and later made a mistake, finishing fourth. In Sunday’s Grand Prix, Aprilia claimed the first four places, but Martin was third behind Bezzecchi and runner-up Fernandez. As a result, Martin left with the same two-point championship advantage over Marc Marquez that he had before the race.

Fernandez was carrying a broken finger and is more than 100 points behind Martin in the standings. Some observers therefore argued he should have yielded second place to his title-contending team-mate. Aprilia has said it will consider team orders only once a rider is mathematically out of contention; that point could potentially arrive for Fernandez after Sunday’s race.

Asked whether the pre-event gathering had addressed such tactics, Bezzecchi said: “No, I mean, it was just a normal meeting.” He explained that Aprilia and Trackhouse regularly work together, adding that it was normal to meet, talk and discuss different situations. “So, for the moment, this is it.”

Fernandez offered a lighter description: “It was not a meeting, it was a coffee, no?!” Bezzecchi agreed: “Yeah, it was a coffee. Two or three coffees!”

Aprilia team boss Paolo Bonora said the gathering was routine, but confirmed the riders were reminded to show respect and avoid taking unnecessary risks against one another, particularly after the Mandalika Sprint collision. “If you have to overtake somebody, take care that it’s in a safe space,” he said, adding that all four riders had the potential to contribute to a special result.

Bonora stressed that Aprilia had made no specific demands or set team orders. However, he left open the possibility of considering them later in the title fight, saying that with small points differences “there is the possibility, why not?” For now, he said, “no clear rider orders” had been defined.

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi brushed off Aprilia’s position. Echoing Marquez’s view that “if you’re fast enough, you don’t need” team orders, Tardozzi said: “They can do whatever they want. We are trying to focus only to be fast on track.” He added that Ducati’s priority was getting the best results for Marquez, while acknowledging its rivals were strong.

The RS-GP is again expected to be competitive at Phillip Island, where both Bezzecchi and Fernandez won a race last season while Martin and Marquez were absent through injury. Rain in the forecast could complicate the weekend.

With five rounds remaining and 185 points still available, Bezzecchi is 46 points behind Martin. Ai Ogura trails by 96 points, while Fernandez is 119 adrift.