PERNAT CALLS FOR DUCATI TALKS AFTER APRILIA’S MANDALIKA SWEEP

Carlo Pernat says Ducati must take a hard look at its technical performance after Aprilia’s commanding display at the Indonesian Grand Prix, where the Noale manufacturer swept the top four places for the first time in premier-class history.

Marco Bezzecchi led the Aprilia quartet to victory, his first Sunday win since the Italian Grand Prix in May. Marc Marquez was the leading Ducati rider, but could manage only sixth, roughly ten seconds behind Bezzecchi. KTM’s Pedro Acosta also finished ahead of him, despite Mandalika not being considered a particularly strong circuit for that bike.

The result has sharpened concerns about the balance of power in the 2026 title fight. Marquez has often excelled at anticlockwise tracks, while Aprilia’s RS-GP26 has looked especially effective on flowing circuits with fast corners. Pernat’s assessment is that Marquez has been able to make a difference through his own ability, but Aprilia’s speed is increasingly countering that advantage.

Speaking to GPOne, Pernat said Ducati had “not exactly done a great job technically this year”. He noted that the other Ducatis, including Fabio Di Giannantonio’s, were not much further behind Marquez, suggesting the gap was not simply a matter of the Spaniard having an unusually poor result. Still, Pernat described the points Marquez salvaged as a reason for optimism: “For Marc, the glass is half full because of the points he managed to save.”

That optimism does not lessen Pernat’s call for action. He believes Ducati’s senior technical figures need to work out how to respond before Aprilia’s advantage threatens Marquez’s bid for an eighth MotoGP crown, as he continues to contend with Jorge Martin and Bezzecchi.

“Ducati need to hold some serious meetings,” Pernat said, naming general manager Gigi Dall’Igna, the technicians and the rider as those who must be involved. He clarified that the focus should be on Marquez rather than the wider group of Ducati riders, framing the championship contest as “Marquez against everyone else”. The priority, he added, is to understand what is happening and find a way to end a supremacy that “at the moment, honestly belongs to Aprilia.”