The Ducati riders feel it, the data proves it – Now Michelin has also confirmed the weak point of the Desmosedici – Aprilia has the better bike
After the first three MotoGP race weekends in 2026, Ducati realized that they are currently lagging behind Aprilia. The riders named a specific aspect that makes it difficult for them to remain competitive over the race distance with the Desmosedici.
They described that with the Ducati you currently have to do “everything via the rear wheel”. The balance for the front wheel has to improve so that the riders can brake harder and carry more speed into the corner via the front wheel.
This is not such a big problem in qualifying with new, soft tires. The disadvantage mainly has an effect over the race distance, which is why Ducati had no chance against Aprilia’s pace in the first three Grands Prix on Sunday.
Michelin manager Piero Taramasso shares this analysis: “It’s true that Ducati puts a little more load on the rear tire. In this situation, vibrations also occur when the tire degrades. It is clear that they still have to find the right balance.“
”The gap to Aprilia is there at the moment, that is obvious,“ the Italian told Motorsport.com Italy on the basis of the Michelin analyses.
”In addition, Marquez is not yet at 100 percent physically,” Taramasso addresses another issue. “You can see that he is not riding freely. Perhaps the break before Jerez will help him to recover, and Ducati could also use it to find something on a technical level.”
Harder carcass not a decisive advantage for Aprilia
Especially after the first two races of the season in Thailand and Brazil, there were those who argued that the Aprilia advantage was due to the harder casing supplied by Michelin for these two circuits.
Taramasso, however, contradicts this theory: “I always thought that this was not the reason, because we have been offering the stiffer casing for several seasons. So everyone knows how to interpret it and how to work on the set-up. The riders have also got used to it.”
That’s why his conclusion after the race weekend in Austin was: “At the moment, Aprilia simply has a bit more at the level of the bike.” The progress was particularly evident in the lap times at the Circuit of The Americas.
A new track record was set in qualifying. The winning time in the sprint was ten seconds slower than the previous record, and the winning time in the Grand Prix was even 19 seconds faster. In other words, the average lap time was one second faster.
This was not expected in the winter, as 2026 was seen as a transitional season for 2027. Because the engineers were working intensively in the background on the motorcycles for the new technical regulations, no such progress was expected.
“I actually expected it a little,” says Taramasso with regard to the lap times, “because everyone certainly still had technical solutions in the drawer. And if they hadn’t used them this year, they would have come to nothing.“
”So, let’s say I expected to see quite different bikes, but maybe not that they would make such a big step.”
This is the last MotoGP season for Michelin before Pirelli arrives. From 2027, the French tire manufacturer will take over the Superbike World Championship.
