MASSIMO RIVOLA SAYS ARAGON COULD DECIDE APRILIA’S TITLE FIGHT AFTER SILVERSTONE

Aprilia’s return to the front in the British Grand Prix has reignited the conversation about the 2026 MotoGP title fight—though Aprilia’s leadership insists the team was never truly “gone.” After a difficult stretch for Marco Bezzecchi earlier in the season, the Noale squad delivered a dominant Silverstone weekend, with Aprilia riders filling the podium in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix.

In the Silverstone results, Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura occupied the top three in the championship standings at the time of the reporting, while Raúl Fernández sat sixth overall. The key point for Aprilia was not only the podium sweep, but the way it came after setbacks: Speedweek noted that Bezzecchi had entered the summer break with serious problems, including a run of four consecutive zero-point finishes and a drop from leading the championship to fourth. The same report also referenced Marc Marquez’s resurgence on the Sachsenring, which had led some observers to believe the title was already slipping away.

Yet at Silverstone, Aprilia’s performance underlined that the team’s pace and consistency were still there. Speedweek described the RS-GP riders as operating “on one line,” with no major performance gaps between Martin, Bezzecchi, Ogura and Fernández. Even when the team didn’t top the timing sheets in Germany, the group approach meant Aprilia remained the second force behind the leaders—without “complete dropouts” on track beyond crashes.

Aprilia Racing team boss Massimo Rivola framed the Silverstone weekend as proof of a deeper strength rather than a temporary spike. Speaking about the second half of the season, he said that in the past Aprilia had struggled after the summer break, but that last year the team had been strong. “I don’t think that this year will be very different from the first to the second half,” Rivola said, adding that the deciding factor is often the physical condition of the riders. He singled out Martin’s form as positive, while for Bezzecchi he pointed to the extra week before Aragon to recover.

Rivola also warned that Aragon could be the moment when the title picture becomes clearer. “Aragon could be the event that shows us who the real title rivals will be,” he said, while acknowledging that the circuit is also a track where Marc Marquez has a strong history.

On the question of whether Aprilia can keep delivering the edge, Rivola pointed to track-by-track differences. “There are circuits that suit our bike more, others where Ducati has advantages or where other riders are stronger,” he said. Still, he argued that Aprilia and its rivals are closer than before: “I think we are at a similar level. But being at this level is thanks to the guys in Noale; earlier the difference was bigger.”

The most emotional part of Rivola’s comments focused on Bezzecchi’s recovery from a rough period. After a troubled morning and a season that had included incidents and injuries—Speedweek referenced the key events that had derailed him—Bezzecchi returned to the podium at Silverstone with two third-place finishes. Rivola praised the rider’s determination: “When you see a rider who, after the difficulties in the morning, then rides such a race, you can imagine how big his heart is.” He compared it to Jorge Martin’s similar comeback last year, saying Aprilia had become “a good example” of how to fight back with full commitment. “Last year Jorge, this year Marco,” Rivola added, expressing surprise at what Bezzecchi achieved on Sunday.

Speedweek’s broader assessment echoed Rivola’s message: Aprilia’s dominance at Silverstone was not portrayed as a sudden comeback, but as confirmation that the RS-GP’s competitiveness remains intact. With all four Aprilia riders reaching the podium at least once across the weekend, the reports concluded that the team’s momentum is real—setting up Aragon as the next major test for who can consistently challenge for the championship.