Aprilia pulled the covers off their 2026 MotoGP bike at an event in Milan on Thursday. They have made clear that they are targeting the world championship with the RS-GP26.
Marco Bezzecchi finished third in the 2025 standings after winning three Sprints and three Grands Prix. He and Aprilia ended the year as the strongest combination in MotoGP, as evidenced by his victories in Portugal and Valencia, but world champion Marc Marquez was out injured at that time.
Aprilia only finished fifth in the teams’ standings but Bezzecchi scored nearly 90% of their points. 2024 title-winner Jorge Martin missed much of the year through injury.
Aprilia unveils ‘super aggressive’ RS-GP26 design for final pre-2027 season
Bezzecchi spoke about the new bike during the event, noting that it already looks noticeably different from last year’s model. Even with a major rules overhaul set for 2027, Aprilia isn’t slowing down its push to evolve.
The design, featuring a new fairing, caught his eye: “The bike is quite different from last year. You can see it quite clearly,” he said. “It was super nice to see her yesterday for the first time. It looks super aggressive.”
During post-season testing in Valencia, Aprilia ran a camouflage livery designed to keep some of their updates under wraps. But Sky Italia’s Guido Meda noticed familiar elements on the new bike.
“It seems that what we saw in Valencia with the camouflage has now become real!” he noted.
Ducati lose a MotoGP rules battle against Aprilia
Over the winter, Aprilia won a significant regulatory decision that could have a real impact on the championship. There had been talk of banning their seat aero, with safety cited as the main concern.
But the ‘leg wings’ remain legal for 2026 after a ban was delayed for at least another year, and Honda has already started to incorporate elements of the design into their own bikes.
Max Biaggi, now serving as an ambassador for Aprilia and one of MotoGP’s legendary figures, believes they have no clear weaknesses. He backs them to be strong across every round of the season.
Meanwhile, CEO Massimo Rivola pointed out that recent gains by KTM and Honda should make the 2026 grid even more competitive. He also mentioned that Yamaha might struggle with pace early on after moving to a V4 engine layout.
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