Aprilia came away from Sepang with a more precise diagnosis of the RS-GP’s performance deficit. The bike was not losing time everywhere: the decisive weakness was concentrated in the final sector. The Malaysian round still cost Aprilia ground to Ducati in all three MotoGP standings. Ai Ogura finished fourth, delivering Aprilia’s best Malaysian Grand Prix result at the circuit, while Marco Bezzecchi came home behind him after being passed in the closing laps.

A problem at the end of the lap

The sector breakdown gives the clearest explanation. Bezzecchi set the fastest time through sectors two and three, the most technical and winding part of Sepang. He was fifth in sector one, but dropped to 12th in sector four. That section contains the back straight and the final hairpin, making it the point where Aprilia’s deficit was most visible. It was also Ogura’s weakest sector, with the Trackhouse rider eighth-fastest there. Bezzecchi then surrendered another position after a major moment on the last lap. He said he had expected more, while also stressing that the progress compared with last year had been substantial.

Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola said the fact that the performance gap was concentrated in one sector gives the team a clear development target. He added that Bezzecchi had pushed as hard as possible but had no tyre left by the finish. The result puts the Italian 67 points behind Marc Marquez and 23 points away from his injured team-mate Jorge Martin in the championship.

Martin’s return ends after the final practice session

Jorge Martin attempted to race only six days after fracturing the radius in his wrist at Phillip Island, but withdrew after final practice. Rivola described the attempt to compete so soon after the injury as an exceptionally difficult task and said Aprilia would keep fighting to the end. Qatar will give Marquez his first championship opportunity. If he wins the Grand Prix, he must outscore Martin by 30 points and Bezzecchi by seven; without a victory, the required advantage over Bezzecchi rises to eight points. Ducati leads Aprilia by eight points in the constructors’ standings, while Aprilia has a 115-point advantage in the teams’ championship.