![\"Massimo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/massimo-rivola-aprilia-racing-.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAprilia arrives in Jerez this weekend on the back of five consecutive grand prix wins, stretching back to Portimao last year. Considering how dominant Ducati was, few would have expected such a remarkable change in the competitive landscape in MotoGP.<\/p>\n
Aprilia’s ascent to the top is also impressive when you consider that it finished at the bottom of the manufacturers’ championship every year from 2016 to 2021. In the seasons since, it has not only shed its backmarker image but emerged as a genuine pacesetter in MotoGP.<\/p>\n
Motorsport.com Italy sat down with Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola to chart the Noale factory’s rise to the top in MotoGP.<\/p>\n
Motorsport.com: Aprilia, under your direction, has gone from being last in the Constructors\u2019 Championship to leading \u2013 at least for now \u2013 all the MotoGP standings. What does that feel like?<\/p>\n
Massimo Rivola: After three races you can\u2019t talk about final standings, unfortunately. It gives great satisfaction, which fuels the motivation we have here in\u00a0Noale \u2013 one of the key ingredients of this company. The human drive, combined with the professionalism, skill, and talent of our people, together with the technological hardware we have here in\u00a0Noale, have created an excellent mix of ingredients to achieve a good result so far.<\/p>\n
MS: Where has\u00a0Aprilia changed the most since your arrival?<\/p>\n
MR: Without a doubt we\u2019ve grown a lot in terms of people. We\u2019ve strengthened areas that were previously just covered, but are now significantly reinforced. Let\u2019s not forget that until 2021 we were with\u00a0Gresini; then 2022 was the turning point and we became a factory team. We also created the trackside management structure with mechanics, and gave the factory team a clear identity alongside the other four manufacturers. It was a strong signal of trust from the Piaggio Group. Often, when you have more responsibility, you bring out your full potential.<\/p>\n
MS: In these seven years you\u2019ve gone from being hunters to \u2013 at least right now \u2013 being the hunted. But beyond the results, what stands out most is how you\u2019ve overtaken all your rivals in aerodynamics. You\u2019re now the benchmark in MotoGP, and if I had to sum it up in one word, I\u2019d say: innovation.<\/p>\n
MR: I\u2019m glad you say that, because innovation is in Noale\u2019s DNA \u2013 it always has been. Even at the debut in what wasn\u2019t yet called MotoGP, when four-strokes returned, the Cube \u2013 by the way, I have a beautiful one here in my office \u2013 was the first bike with pneumatic valves, the first with carbon airbox pressure, the first with ride-by-wire. All things we take for granted today, but Aprilia had already tried them back then.<\/p>\n
That innovative spirit has always been here in\u00a0Noale, and that\u2019s wonderful. From an aerodynamic point of view, if you remember the first race in Qatar, I immediately caused that fuss with the famous \u2018spoon.\u2019 For me, it was both an internal and external message: on one hand, \u2018We\u2019re not here just to take part,\u2019 and we don\u2019t want anyone to make a fool of us \u2013 we want better-written rules. On the other hand, it was to show that if we work in the grey areas of aerodynamics, we can become the best.<\/p>\n
We invested heavily in this area, thanks also to highly skilled personnel and very motivated university graduates. This has been one of the areas I personally believed in the most, because from my previous experience I knew how much performance could be found there. I also think it\u2019s right to give each bike its own identity \u2013 to plant a flag, so to speak. I remember in the past the engine was \u2018from Bologna\u2019 when they entered MotoGP; today I like to say that aerodynamics is clearly something that belongs more to us.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Massimo Rivola, Aprilia Racing Team<\/p>\n
Photo by: Aprilia Racing<\/p>\n
MS: What is the key principle you set when designing a\u00a0MotoGP bike? You\u2019re now working on two bikes \u2013 the current RS-GP and the 850cc \u2013 so when you start from a blank sheet, what\u2019s the first word you use before moving to design?<\/p>\n
MR: Courage. The courage to innovate, the courage to invent, not being afraid to make mistakes. Because if you don\u2019t make mistakes, it means you\u2019re going slowly. It\u2019s the same for a rider \u2013 if they never make mistakes, they\u2019re not really at the limit. When you\u2019re always at the limit, you make mistakes. As [Marco] Bezzecchi says: \u2018You\u2019re always on that line where from hero to idiot it takes a second.\u2019 We need the same approach.<\/p>\n
Sometimes we\u2019ll look like fools, sometimes like heroes. The important thing is knowing we\u2019re neither, but believing we can do our job well.<\/p>\n
MS: You mentioned the riders.\u00a0Bezzecchi has started the season almost perfectly, while Jorge Martin<\/a> is improving race by race. Maybe he\u2019s not yet at his physical peak, but the impression is that he\u2019s already very close to Marco. Should we expect an internal derby between them in the coming months? And\u2026 Aprilia rules?<\/p>\n MR: I\u2019ll get in touch with my [former] colleague Andrea Stella to set up the \u2018black rules\u2019! (laughs) It\u2019s true that Martin isn\u2019t at 100% physically [fit] yet, and I think he\u2019s still missing something at the very end of races. Sometimes he still has to think about things rather than acting instinctively, so I believe he still has room to grow.<\/p>\n Above all, he has a reference point in Marco, who is at a very high level, and the data is shared. For these reasons, Jorge has a big advantage right now \u2013 he has no pressure. Naturally, the pressure is more on Marco, who has been imposing himself since the end of last year. Jorge also has the advantage of already having won a world championship, unlike Marco, so he has less to prove and can probably enjoy things with less pressure after what happened last year.<\/p>\n If we end up having this \u2018problem\u2019 \u2013 Aprilia riders fighting each other for the title \u2013 then great, I\u2019d love it. But I don\u2019t think it will be just them. I think Marc Marquez<\/a> will be in the fight, in fact I believe the championship will really start in Jerez. Then there\u2019s Pedro Acosta<\/a>, who\u2019s doing something truly remarkable \u2013 he\u2019s one of those riders who makes a difference. And Ducati certainly hasn\u2019t disappeared \u2013 they\u2019ve been first and second in the sprints.<\/p>\n I think they have a slight edge over us on the soft tire, while we have something more on the medium, in terms of how we use them. So the fact that they might struggle a bit at the end of races could give us an advantage \u2013 but it might only be temporary. I think it\u2019s going to be a fantastic championship.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve always said this, even last year, when many called it a transition season before the new regulations. I\u2019ve always believed it\u2019s actually the most important championship in history \u2013 because these are the fastest bikes ever: 300 horsepower per litre, nearly 370 km\/h at Mugello, extremely advanced aerodynamics, ride-height devices, bikes that reach 200 km\/h in four seconds. They\u2019re two-wheeled aircraft. And having the label of the fastest bikes ever is something everyone wants \u2013 even those who say it doesn\u2019t matter that much.<\/p>\n MS: Aerodynamics is a hot topic. It\u2019s crucial for the 2026\u00a0MotoGP bikes, but we know things will change for the 850cc era. In your opinion, will aerodynamics become less important, or will it remain a key factor, even if in a different way?<\/p>\n MR: It will have a different importance because we\u2019ll simply have a smaller fairing to work with. But I\u2019m one of those who believes it will still be extremely important. We clearly want to maintain our technological leadership in this area, so it\u2019s about having the courage to keep inventing something that can bring results \u2013 and maybe be transferred to production bikes, or at least to our X models, which are very special and very close to MotoGP bikes.<\/p>\n Customers \u2013the lucky ones who can afford them \u2013 want to try something that only MotoGP riders usually experience. Something even an amateur can appreciate. Of course, it\u2019s difficult, because an amateur probably can\u2019t trigger aerodynamic effects the way professionals do. But it\u2019s also a way to better appreciate what our riders do \u2013 MotoGP riders are truly special athletes.<\/p>\n Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing<\/p>\n Photo by: David Buono \/ Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n MS: So far we\u2019ve already seen all the 850cc bikes on track \u2013 except Aprilia. When will we see your new weapon?<\/p>\n MR: We\u2019re definitely not in a hurry \u2013 and not because we don\u2019t care about 2027. Simply put, we\u2019re not in a rush. After the Jerez week, in a private test, we\u2019ll start running the 2027 bike on track, but it\u2019s more of a hybrid prototype to gather some data on engine management and correlation with the dyno.<\/p>\n We\u2019re not in a hurry partly because we don\u2019t want to reveal our cards, but also because one of\u00a0Aprilia\u2019s strengths today is \u2013 let\u2019s say it in a cool way \u2013 time to market. From the moment we have an idea to when we put it on track, we\u2019re very fast. That\u2019s one of the secrets of performance in anything: speed in decision-making and execution.<\/p>\n Every year I\u2019ve always said our best bike would be the next one \u2013 simply because I\u2019ve always seen a growing company. And if the company grows, the result \u2013 our bike \u2013 will inevitably be better than the previous year.<\/p>\n MS: You hold a very important role in\u00a0Aprilia Racing, but you\u2019re also president of the MSMA. How do you balance these two commitments, considering you must act in Aprilia\u2019s interest but also represent other manufacturers?<\/p>\n MR: In the past, this role was more symbolic. I\u2019ve taken it very seriously. We\u2019ve gone from three to four meetings a year to 30-40. There\u2019s also the opportunity of a new five-year contract with Dorna, now MotoGP Sport Group, with Liberty. There are opportunities to improve our conditions.<\/p>\n MotoGP has reached this level not only because Dorna created strong regulations, but also because manufacturers have invested huge sums \u2013 over a billion euros in five years. I\u2019m not authorised to talk about what we\u2019re working on, out of respect for the other manufacturers.<\/p>\n So how do I manage both roles? It\u2019s about priorities, enthusiasm, the desire to work, and the luck of doing a job that matches your passion \u2013 which for me is racing. There\u2019s no secret.<\/p>\n MS: Ducati and Aprilia are two Italian factory teams, and I think Italian fans are largely divided between these two brands. Next year Ducati will field two Spanish riders. Can we say that Aprilia could become a sort of Italian national team, given it will be entirely Italian?<\/p>\n MR: Well, I\u2019d certainly like that. I\u2019d like it to be seen that way. Having all Italian riders would be great \u2013 including Lorenzo Savadori<\/a>, our test rider \u2013 as well as the Piaggio Group ownership that has continued to invest more and more in us, and Noale itself with its history of 54 world titles.<\/p>\n So yes, of course it has to be earned on track, through work. All the ingredients are there \u2013 we\u2019ll see. That\u2019s definitely one of the goals.<\/p>\n Read Also:<\/p>\n We want your opinion!<\/p>\n What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?<\/p>\n![\"Marco](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/marco-bezzecchi-aprilia-racing.jpg\")
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