Massimo Rivola says Ducati’s podium absence at the Thai MotoGP opener was not the result of a slump, but “something special” from Aprilia.
The Buriram event ended without a Ducati rider on the grand prix podium for the first time since 2021.
By contrast, Aprilia filled four of the top five places, headlined by victory from pole position by Marco Bezzecchi.
“I don’t think Ducati was struggling. I think that Aprilia did something special at this track,” said Aprilia Racing CEO Rivola.
“The reason for that we will see in the next races. If it’s [because we have] the complete package, it would be good news for us, obviously.
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“But Marc [Marquez] was fighting there. OK, Pecco didn’t pass through Q2, so he was stuck in the middle, and when you are in the middle, you know it’s difficult.”
Rivola suggested the manufacturers were closely matched, aside from the ongoing development of Yamaha’s new V4 project.
But he believes Aprilia may have held a slight advantage in tyre management, and Bezzecchi did the rest.
“Maybe with some tyre degradation, we were just a bit better,” Rivola said.
“But if we see the lap times, the only one that I think since day one [at Buriram] was on top of everybody was Bez.”
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Rivola also credited KTM’s Pedro Acosta for delivering a special weekend.
The Spaniard won the Sprint race after Bezzecchi crashed out of the early lead, then finished second to the Italian in the grand prix.
Meanwhile, Ducati’s reigning champion Marc Marquez lost out to Acosta after a last lap penalty in the Sprint, then suffered dramatic wheel rim damage while closing on the podium late in the grand prix.
Acosta takes a seven-point MotoGP title lead over Bezzecchi into round two, the inaugural event at Goiania in Brazil, next weekend.
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