Marco Bezzecchi arrives at Motegi still involved in the 2026 MotoGP title contest, but no longer viewing his position as equal to that of Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez. The Aprilia rider says the two rivals are currently more firmly established in the championship fight. His deficit to the standings leader has reached 42 points before the Japanese Grand Prix, the largest gap he has faced this season.

That situation contrasts with Bezzecchi’s start to the campaign. He won four grands prix in the opening eight races, then failed to score in five of the following eight. Recovering some of that lost ground is now the immediate objective, with the Motegi weekend offering the next opportunity to rebuild his challenge.

Aprilia faces an unfinished Motegi record

Motegi has not yet delivered a podium for Aprilia. Bezzecchi acknowledges that Ducati has generally looked strong at the circuit in recent years, but he does not want to frame the weekend around a comparison between Aprilia, Ducati and KTM. His focus is to make the bike competitive from Friday’s practice session and keep improving its performance throughout the event.

Bezzecchi identifies braking and the feel from the Aprilia’s front tyre as areas that immediately give him confidence. He also avoids presenting that as a direct comparison with rival MotoGP machines, since he has not ridden them. The practical task at Motegi is to make the most of the Aprilia’s front-end strengths from the opening session while building the pace needed to return to the title fight.