A Changing of the Guard in MotoGP?
by John Knowlson - MotoGP Reporter
For the better part of a decade, one name defined success in MotoGP and one manufacture stood above the rest and that was Marc Marquez on the Honda. But as the dust settles on Austin, there’s a growing sense that history may be repeating itself… just with different colours.
Ducati, once the gold standard of the grid, are beginning to show cracks. On paper, they still boast one of the strongest line-ups in the paddock, led by the reigning world champion Marquez and two time world champion Francesco Bagnaia. Yet the results are no longer matching the expectation. Both Marquez and Bagnaia’s title charge has yet to truly ignite in 2026.
Instead, it increasingly feels like Ducati’s fortunes hinge on one man: Marc Márquez.
The parallels to Honda’s decline are difficult to ignore. During his peak years, Márquez masked the RC213V’s shortcomings, dragging it to victories others simply couldn’t achieve. But when injury struck, Honda collapsed down the order, a once-dominant force suddenly nowhere.
Now, the same question looms over the factory Ducati team: are they becoming overly reliant on a single rider to deliver results?
At the Circuit of the Americas, that theory gained traction. Márquez showed flashes of his old brilliance, setting a personal best lap deep into the race despite a long-lap penalty and early setbacks. But even then, he could only recover to fifth, and without him, Ducati were largely absent from the podium for the third consecutive main race this season. The Thai GP marked the first time Ducati failed to place a rider since the British GP 2021.
While Ducati search for answers, Aprilia are surging.
Led by Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, the Italian manufacturer has not only found speed, but consistency, something that has eluded their rivals. Three consecutive Grand Prix victories have firmly established them as the benchmark package, with Bezzecchi in particular combining raw pace with a newfound race management maturity.
Aprilia’s bike looks rideable, adaptable, and crucially, competitive across multiple riders and circuits. Of course, it’s too early to declare a complete power shift. Ducati remain a formidable force, and Márquez, even at less than 100%, is still capable of rewriting the script on any given Sunday.
But the warning signs are there.
If Ducati are becoming the new Honda, dependent on individual brilliance rather than collective strength, then Aprilia may well be stepping into the vacuum as MotoGP’s new powerhouse.
And if that is the case, the changing of the guard may already be underway.
