MotoGP enters a crucial final phase of the 2026 season, with five rounds remaining and just two points separating championship leader Jorge Martin from Marc Marquez.
Martin reclaimed the championship lead with third place at Sunday’s Indonesian Grand Prix, leaving Mandalika on 355 points. Marc finished sixth and sits on 353, while Marco Bezzecchi remains in the hunt on 309, 46 points behind his Aprilia teammate.
The title fight now heads to a sequence of circuits where Aprilia and Ducati both have reason for confidence based on last year’s results.
The remaining Grands Prix are in Australia, Malaysia, Qatar, Portugal and Valencia. Aprilia won three of those races in 2025 and Ducati took two, suggesting a closely matched run-in.
There is an important caveat, though: much of that racing took place without the two riders now leading the championship. Marc missed the final four rounds with a shoulder injury, while Martin was absent in Australia, Malaysia and Portugal before returning at Valencia.
Those results therefore tell us more about the bikes’ potential than how this year’s title rivals might fare. Here is where each manufacturer could hold an advantage.
Australia: Aprilia’s breakthrough
Phillip Island delivered one of Aprilia’s standout weekends of 2025, with Raul Fernandez claiming his first MotoGP victory ahead of Ducati’s Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Bezzecchi won the Sprint and then finished third in the Grand Prix despite serving a double long lap penalty, putting two Aprilias on Sunday’s podium.
That gives Aprilia a strong recent reference heading to Australia. Marc, however, has a winning record of his own: he took the 2024 Grand Prix on a Gresini Ducati before missing last year’s race.
Malaysia: Ducati win, Aprilia struggle
Sepang produced the clearest contrast between the manufacturers across these five races.
Alex Marquez won the 2025 Grand Prix ahead of KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Honda’s Joan Mir. Franco Morbidelli added fourth place for Ducati, while Francesco Bagnaia was running third before a late bike problem forced him to retire.
Aprilia’s best finisher was Ai Ogura in 10th, followed by Bezzecchi in 11th, while Fernandez crashed out on lap 12.
It was Aprilia’s weakest Sunday result at the five remaining venues, making Malaysia a potentially significant round for Ducati in the title fight.
Qatar: Marc’s strongest reference
Lusail is the only circuit in this run-in where Marc raced in 2025, and he made that appearance count by winning both the Sprint and Grand Prix.
Ducati occupied four of the top five places in the final Sunday classification, including a podium sweep after a tyre-pressure penalty dropped Maverick Vinales from second.
For Martin, his first race weekend with Aprilia ended in a crash that left him with rib fractures and a lung injury.
Last year’s results give Ducati plenty of encouragement, although the timing of this year’s race adds uncertainty. The 2025 Grand Prix took place in April; this season’s November date could bring different conditions.
Portugal: Aprilia win, Ducati stay close
Aprilia led the way in qualifying at Portimao last year, with Bezzecchi taking pole ahead of Acosta and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, while Ducati-powered Bagnaia and Alex started fourth and fifth respectively.
Alex recovered to win the Sprint ahead of Acosta and Bezzecchi, but Sunday belonged to Aprilia.
Bezzecchi led every lap of the Grand Prix and finished more than 2.5 seconds clear of Alex in second. Ducati still placed two riders in the top four, showing it remained competitive even as Bezzecchi controlled the race.
Portugal offers a strong reference for Aprilia, but the split between the Sprint and Grand Prix winners also shows how the advantage can change within a weekend.
Valencia: Aprilia’s one-two
Aprilia closed 2025 in commanding fashion at Valencia, with Bezzecchi beating Fernandez to victory and Di Giannantonio completing the podium for Ducati.
The result secured consecutive Grand Prix wins for Aprilia and their second double podium across the five venues that make up this year’s run-in.
Martin returned from injury but retired from the race. That left him without a Grand Prix finish on an Aprilia at any of these five circuits in 2025, limiting the direct comparisons available for his title challenge.
Verdict
Aprilia have the stronger recent Sunday record in Australia, Portugal and Valencia. Ducati’s best evidence comes from Malaysia and Qatar, with Sepang exposing Aprilia’s difficulties and Lusail providing Marc’s clearest personal reference.
That points to a run-in with opportunities for both sides, rather than a decisive overall advantage. Aprilia’s three victories show what the bike can do, but Martin still has to turn that potential into results. Ducati, meanwhile, reached the podium at all five Grands Prix, suggesting it can remain a threat even at venues Aprilia won.
The Sprints could be just as important. Portugal last year showed that winning on Saturday does not necessarily translate into winning on Sunday, and there are still 60 points available across the five remaining Sprints.
With only two points between Martin and Marc, the championship may hinge less on which manufacturer has more favourable circuits and more on which rider makes the most of both races each weekend.
Fans can watch the final five rounds of MotoGP live on SPOTV NOW.
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