LORENZO SAW APRILIA AS A 2026 TITLE CONTENDER—IF BEZZECCHI AVOIDED MISTAKES

Jorge Lorenzo believed Aprilia had a MotoGP title-winning motorcycle before the 2026 season had even begun. The three-time premier-class champion shared that view with team technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini over coffee at Buriram, but attached a condition: Marco Bezzecchi needed to stay upright and score consistently.

“Looking at how your bike handles in the corners, if Bezzecchi doesn’t make any mistakes and finishes the races, you’ll win the World Championship 100 percent,” Lorenzo recalled telling Sterlacchini.

Lorenzo was impressed by the RS-GP’s cornering ability, describing it as lighter than the Ducati and capable of leaning further. “With my experience, it was clear,” he said. “I told Fabiano that if Bezzecchi stayed mistake-free, they would win the title.”

The warning proved pertinent. Bezzecchi crashed out of the opening Sprint and suffered further high-profile incidents. Meanwhile, Ducati’s Marc Marquez overturned a 102-point deficit to Bezzecchi by the Aragon round, then pursued Aprilia’s Jorge Martin. With two rounds remaining, Marquez leads Martin by 60 points and Bezzecchi by 74.

Lorenzo’s assessment was that Aprilia held the technical advantage, but Marquez’s ability changed the equation. “On a technical level, the Aprilia was superior to the Ducati,” he said. “But Marquez is Marquez: he’s the Ayrton Senna of motorcycle racing, the Max Verstappen of motorcycle racing. Technically, he’s on another level.”

Lorenzo knows the stakes of a title fight with Marquez first-hand. He lost the 2013 championship to the then-rookie at the final round, before beating him to the 2015 crown and handing Marquez his first MotoGP title defeat.