Aprilia admits losing “two riders is not ideal”, but “we have to be optimistic”

Marco Bezzecchi will complete a formidable factory Aprilia MotoGP line-up in 2025 after joining Jorge Martin in leaving Ducati for the Noale-based manufacturer.

Bezzecchi signed with the Italian brand on Monday, which means he will leave the VR46 team to become a factory rider in MotoGP for the first time.

2024 has been somewhat of a disaster for Bezzecchi following a superb second season in MotoGP in 2023.

His adaptation to the GP23 bike is still proving problematic, however, Rivola expects big things from the Italian who was a title contender for much of last season.

“He is coming from a very competitive bike but the good thing is that he wanted to be with us and ride our bike,” said Rivola.

“He saw the potential of our bike and feels he can deliver a good performance.

“I think he will deliver a good performance. He will maybe need a bit of time at the beginning to adapt but I’m convinced he will be fast very soon.”

While the line-up of Martin and Bezzecchi could rival that of Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez at Lenovo Ducati, the caveat is that Aprilia’s duo will both be brand new to the RS-GP.

This could impact their results early on, but Rivola is remaining optimistic despite calling it ‘not ideal’ to change both factory riders. 

Rivola added: “Changing two riders is not ideal. Continuity usually means more performance but when you get two talents like that you have to be very optimistic and know that you have to fight for the championship.

“We have two of the best talents in the last few seasons and can’t make excuses not to give them the best bike.”