The MotoGP title battle is taking on a strategic dimension, with Ducati expecting Aprilia to use team orders in Jorge Martin’s favour. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi said that moment will come sooner or later, calling such a decision “right and logical”. Aprilia has indicated that it will not ask its riders to change positions while they remain mathematically in contention for the World Championship.

In Indonesia, Marc Marquez and Ducati won the Sprint after a Turn 1 incident and tyre-pressure problems hurt Martin’s race. Marquez briefly moved into the championship lead, but Aprilia answered in the Grand Prix with the first top-four sweep in its history. Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez finished ahead of Martin, who took third, while Marquez was limited to sixth. The two main contenders remained separated by two points after the weekend, but Aprilia’s strength at Mandalika made the question of team strategy more pressing.

Aprilia’s margin for neutrality is shrinking

Eight riders remain mathematically alive in the championship after Mandalika. All four Aprilias are still inside that group, with 185 points available over the final five races. The maximum will drop to 148 after Phillip Island and then to 111 after Sepang. Bezzecchi is 46 points behind Martin, Ogura trails by 96 and Fernandez by 119. Fernandez was also racing injured in Indonesia, adding another factor to the team’s calculation.

Ducati already has three riders mathematically out of the title fight: Pecco Bagnaia, Fermin Aldeguer and Franco Morbidelli. In theory, any of them could assist Marquez if placed in a position to influence the championship. Their practical ability to do so is less certain. Bagnaia has not reached the podium since the summer break, Morbidelli is seldom inside the top ten and Aldeguer suffered a fracture to his right hand on Sunday.

Tardozzi was also involved in Ducati’s ‘Mapping 8’ instruction to Jorge Lorenzo during the 2017 title fight, giving context to his view that backing a challenger can be justified. The 2027 line-up adds another complication: Fernandez and Bezzecchi will remain with Aprilia, while Martin and Ogura will move to Yamaha. An order favouring Martin could therefore alter Fernandez’s championship position as well as Trackhouse’s team points.