Marco Bezzecchi gave Aprilia the Qatar Grand Prix victory, yet the bigger championship development at Lusail was Marc Marquez extending his advantage at the top of the MotoGP standings. The Ducati rider missed his first mathematical opportunity to secure the title, but he still outscored both Jorge Martin and Bezzecchi over the Qatar weekend. Marquez now leads Martin by 60 points and Bezzecchi by 74, with 74 points still available across the final two Grands Prix at Portimao and Valencia.

Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola believes Marquez has been the defining factor in the title battle. Rivola pointed to the Spaniard’s ability to manage complete race weekends, score heavily when the opportunity was available and win on circuits that appeared particularly demanding. He also highlighted Marquez’s experience and racecraft as reasons why Ducati has built such a substantial advantage.

Rivola also described the points Aprilia has thrown away during the season as lessons for the future, while stressing that the campaign is not over. His comments came with two races remaining, even though Aprilia’s position in the riders’ championship has become increasingly difficult.

A season shaped by missed points

Bezzecchi’s Qatar success was his sixth Grand Prix win of the season, only one fewer than Marquez. The Italian had led Marquez by 102 points earlier in the year, but his campaign has also included 11 races without scoring. Marquez has recorded six non-scores, all before his latest shoulder operation in May.

Martin, who was riding while injured in Qatar, has had seven non-scores. He has been more consistent in that respect than Bezzecchi, but has taken only one Sunday victory this season. Those contrasting records help explain why the championship gap remains so difficult to close despite the remaining points.

Aprilia still has two team targets

The riders’ title may be slipping away, but Aprilia still has meaningful objectives in the final two rounds. The manufacturer leads the teams’ championship by 124 points over Ducati Lenovo. In the constructors’ standings, however, Aprilia is eight points behind Ducati, leaving a much tighter contest.

Rivola considers both championships important. He described the teams’ title as comparable to Formula 1’s constructors’ championship because it combines the results of a manufacturer’s two riders. He also said Aprilia deserves the constructors’ crown and questioned the current scoring system, which counts the highest-placed rider from each manufacturer in each race. In his view, that method makes it extremely difficult for several Aprilias to overcome a standout performance from Marquez.

Aprilia has never won a MotoGP riders’, teams’ or constructors’ title. Ducati, meanwhile, is the reigning champion in all three categories. Fabio di Giannantonio is sixth in the riders’ world championship and is the next-best Ducati rider behind Marquez.