Aprilia simulations predicted Thai MotoGP win, but team 'didn't believe' them
Massimo Rivola reveals Aprilia's Thai MotoGP simulation correctly flagged Marco Bezzecchi's big step in performance relative to 2025.
Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola admits he didn’t dare believe the factory’s simulation data, which correctly predicted a massive step in race pace by Marco Bezzecchi in Sunday’s season-opening Thai MotoGP.
Fastest in pre-season testing, Bezzecchi then stormed to pole position at Buriram, but made an early fumble while leading the Sprint.
The Italian rebounded in style with a lights-to-flag victory in the grand prix, taking the chequered flag 5.5s clear of nearest rival Pedro Acosta (KTM) and beating his own 2025 race time, on the way to sixth, by 15.941s.
It's worth noting that Bezzecchi was still one second behind Marc Marquez’s 2025 Thai race-winning time.
Marc Marquez backed off early in the 2025 race to let Alex Marquez lead due to tyre pressure concerns.
Meanwhile, Bezzecchi, starting eighth, had a slow opening lap last year, then backed off significantly in the closing laps of 2026, when most riders suffered greater tyre wear issues than a year ago.
Ai Ogura was the top Aprilia rider in the 2025 grand prix, 7.450s behind Marc Marquez. The Japanese was slower in 2026, as he fought his way from eleventh to fifth.
Trackhouse team-mate Raul Fernandez, third on Sunday, didn't finish in 2025. Bezzecchi's team-mate Jorge Martin was absent last season.
“The simulation said that we had this kind of [race time] improvement, we didn't believe the simulation!” Rivola told TNT Sports.
“I thought if half of the simulation is [correct], I'm happy. I think more than half of what we thought is real.
“That also means what we are measuring in CFD, in the wind tunnel, is right. And our models are working well at home.”
Rivola’s highlighting of aerodynamic measurements - virtual, in the form of CFD, and wind tunnel modelling data - suggests aero has been a key area of improvement on the 2026 Aprilia.
A TNT Sport comparison of Bezzecchi against Ducati’s Marc Marquez earlier in the weekend also highlighted cornering as the Italian’s biggest advantage.
The qualifying sectors told a similar story, Marc Marquez fastest in Sectors 1 and 2, with most of the straights. Then Bezzecchi fastest in Sectors 3 and 4, with the in-field corners.
Either way, Bezzecchi’s victory was the highlight of a very impressive Aprilia weekend, where they turned the tables on Ducati.
“Yesterday, Marco rushed a bit too much [and fell in the Sprint], but I cannot be disappointed for such a weekend at the end,” Rivola added.
“I know that I'm too severe with myself and with my guys too many times, and when you see four Aprilias in a top five on a track that is not really an Aprilia track, I think it shows that we have quite a good potential this year.”
Bezzecchi was one of two Aprilia riders on the rostrum with Raul Fernandez overcoming a brief shoulder dislocation in warm-up to claim third place behind Acosta.
“A great job from Raul, because after what happened this morning with his shoulder, I think he suffered a lot during the race, and 26 laps in these condition are quite a lot,” said Rivola.
In this article
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
