The Ducati-Aprilia argument in MotoGP has become a question of overall strength rather than motorcycle numbers. Massimo Rivola said that four Aprilias would not be enough to beat Marc Marquez, while also arguing that the Spaniard has made the difference in this year’s riders’ championship. Rivola pointed to the gaps separating Marquez from Ducati’s other riders as a measure worth examining.

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi answered that a championship is not won by one component in isolation. His formula combines a fast rider and a champion, a competitive motorcycle, and sporting and technical management capable of creating the conditions for victory. Tardozzi also noted that Ducati has six motorcycles and that another Ducati has won on some occasions.

The standings give the debate a clear competitive context. Ducati has a narrow advantage over Aprilia in the constructors’ championship, while Marquez is close to a tenth world title and has already taken seven Grand Prix wins this season. Aprilia has eight victories of its own: five for Marco Bezzecchi and one each for Jorge Martin, Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura. All four Aprilia riders are inside the championship’s top seven.

What Marquez has changed

Fabio di Giannantonio is Ducati’s next-best rider after Marquez, sixth in the standings and approximately 149 points behind him. Alex Marquez and di Giannantonio have each delivered one Ducati Grand Prix victory, with both wins coming before Marc Marquez returned from corrective surgery for a nerve problem in his shoulder. Before moving to Ducati, Marquez had endured a 1,000-day winless run during his final seasons with Honda. The season’s picture supports Tardozzi’s broader argument: performance is not simply a matter of the motorcycle, but of how the entire racing operation comes together.