Why Aprilia have outperformed Ducati in the 2026 MotoGP season so far, according to Luigi Dall’IgnaLuigi Dall’Igna has weighed in on why Aprilia have overtaken Ducati early in the 2026 season, and he doesn’t believe it’s down to development limitations from MotoGP’s concession system.

Aprilia’s strong start to the new campaign has put Ducati under pressure, with their bid for a seventh straight constructors’ title already looking less certain than in previous years. No other factory has taken the crown since 2020, but that run is now under real threat.

Aprilia’s C-rank status within MotoGP’s concession system gives them greater flexibility when it comes to testing and development. Meanwhile, Ducati – ranked as an A team – is restricted to minimal opportunities.

That distinction has certainly helped Aprilia close the gap over recent months. But despite those clear advantages, Ducati leadership insists that this isn’t what’s holding them back this year.

Speaking at an event in Bologna celebrating Ducati’s 100th anniversary, Dall’Igna addressed the current state of the team’s efforts in MotoGP during a chat with Moto.it.

The Italian made it clear that their fall from the top isn’t down to external factors. He was upfront in saying it is something they need to address themselves.

He said, “The concession system is certainly designed to try to rebalance the system a bit, obviously, thus penalising Ducati, which has certainly made a difference from a technical standpoint in recent years.

“But I repeat, this is not an excuse. We are here to try to fight for victory, so we definitely need to roll up our sleeves and do everything in our power to bring our bike back to being the benchmark in the MotoGP system.”

The latest recipient of a factory Ducati bike, Alex Marquez, has also refused to point fingers at the Italian constructor.

In a recent interview, he stated that Aprilia have simply done a better job than Ducati when it comes down to developing their machinery. He also noted that Marc Marquez’s injury struggles aren’t behind their dip either.

Luigi Dall’Igna has voiced his thoughts on why Ducati have been dethroned by Aprilia at the start of the 2026 season, asserting that it isn’t because of their limited development time due to MotoGP’s concession system.

Team principal Davide Tardozzi previously confirmed that Ducati will be bringing some new parts to Jerez in order to test them on the Monday following the Spanish Grand Prix.

During Dall’Igna’s conversation with the Italian publication, he doubled down on how significant the testing session will be for the Italian constructor to start bridging the gap to Aprilia.

“Let’s say there will definitely be a test after Jerez, and during that test, I believe we can find the solutions to get back on the right track,” he added.

“But we’ll probably also try to run some tests during the race to find some solutions. We clearly have some ideas, and we need to understand whether these ideas are the right ones or not, so Monday’s test will definitely be important.”

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