APRILIA COULD INTRODUCE TEAM ORDERS WITHIN ONE OR TWO RACES

Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi expects Aprilia to eventually use team orders as it tries to stop Marc Marquez and Ducati from winning the MotoGP title. He said he would take the same approach, describing it as “right and logical”.

Aprilia has so far allowed its factory riders and Trackhouse teammates to race freely, saying orders will not apply while its riders remain mathematically in title contention. But the manufacturer has now acknowledged it is weighing up “directive guidelines” to strengthen its championship chances against Ducati, while insisting its riders remain free to race for now. Aprilia sporting director Fabiano Sterlacchini has now said orders could arrive within “one or two races”, adding that “stakes are high” as Jorge Martin battles Marquez for the title.

Tensions have grown after several incidents this season. Jorge Martin called for team orders in Barcelona after Raul Fernandez took him out of the race. At the Indonesian Grand Prix, Fernandez and Marco Bezzecchi collided in the Sprint. Fernandez suffered two broken fingers, while the clash also hurt Bezzecchi’s chances. The pair later apologised to Aprilia at a private meeting.

The Sprint also brought a major swing in the championship: Martin’s Turn 1 clash and tyre-pressure problems while leading allowed Marquez to win, putting him at the top of the standings for the first time this season. Bezzecchi then won Sunday’s race after a long duel with Trackhouse rider Fernandez, who finished second. Martin was third and Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura fourth. Aprilia claimed the first top-four sweep in a Grand Prix, while Marquez finished sixth. The result left him just two points behind Martin.

Tardozzi said Ducati had limited the damage in Indonesia, noting that it arrived and left with the same two-point gap to Martin. “Coming in two points behind Martin and leaving two points behind is a success for us,” he told Sky Italia. However, he warned that Aprilia had been “decidedly superior” at the circuit. “If we defend ourselves in Australia, I think the World Championship is still manageable.”

With neither Fernandez nor Ogura in title contention, the incidents have renewed questions about whether Aprilia should prioritise its championship challengers. Tardozzi believes that could happen. “I have no doubt that sooner or later Aprilia will issue team orders; it seems right and logical to me, and I would do it,” he said.

All four Aprilia riders remain mathematically in contention, with 185 points still available across the final five rounds. Bezzecchi is third overall, 46 points behind Martin; Ogura trails by 96 and Fernandez by 119. That leaves Aprilia balancing the title fight against the interests of its riders and teams. Any order could also be complicated by the fact that Martin and Ogura are moving to Yamaha next season, while Bezzecchi and Fernandez will remain with Aprilia.

The Indonesian weekend offered Aprilia a chance to gain ground on Marquez, but the intra-team collision and the close championship margin left the title fight finely balanced.