Long run data from the final 2026 MotoGP pre-season test suggests Aprilia is a true rival to Ducati for the Thai Grand Prix season opener.
Many teams and riders embarked on either sprint race simulations (up to 13 laps) or grand prix distance runs (up to 26 laps) across the two days of the Buriram test, and for both distances Aprilia riders appear to have come up with the most impressive efforts.
Below is the data from the sprint and grand prix simulations we've been able to identify in the test. As in some cases it was difficult to discern the nature of the run (for instance, a 10-lap run can be a sprint or an interrupted grand prix or the second half of a grand prix), best judgment and context clues were used.
Sprint simulations
By average laptime
Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia) 1m30.101s, 12 laps
Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati) 1m30.276s, 13 laps
Jorge Martin (Aprilia) 1m30.497s, 12 laps
Pedro Acosta (KTM) 1m30.560s, 12 laps
Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia) 1m30.573s, 11 laps
Luca Marini (Honda) 1m30.611s, 13 laps
Maverick Vinales (Tech3 KTM) 1m30.623s, 11 laps*
Joan Mir (Honda) 1m30.624s, 10 laps
Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) 1m30.953s, 10 laps
Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia) 1m31.069s, 9 laps
Alex Rins (Yamaha) 1m31.119s, 12 laps
Maverick Vinales (Tech3 KTM) 1m31.356s, 8 laps
Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda) 1m31.463s, 11 laps
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pramac Yamaha) 1m31.872s, 9 laps*
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pramac Yamaha) 1m32.115s, 7 laps
Michele Pirro (Gresini Ducati) 1m32.848s, 10 laps
Michele Pirro (Gresini Ducati) 1m33.268s, 12 laps*
* outlier laps deleted
10-lap 'sprint'
Translating that pace into a simulated sprint race would give Trackhouse Aprilia’s Ai Ogura - who made a stunning MotoGP debut at Buriram last year - a narrow race win over Pecco Bagnaia’s factory Ducati. That’s with the caveat of course that we don’t have comparable sprint sims from Marc Marquez or lead factory Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi.
1 Ogura
2 Bagnaia +1.032s (Day 1)
3 Martin +3.155s
4 Marini +4.291s
5 Fernandez +4.316s
6 Acosta +4.454s (Day 1)
7 Mir +5.317s
8 Vinales +5.446s
9 Quartararo +8.607s
10 Rins +9.668s
11 Moreira +13.562s
12 Pirro +27.552s
It is worth noting that Ogura's run came a full day of track action after Bagnaia's, with the track presumably in a better state - but also that Bagnaia's run began with a faster burst and then did not sustain in the same way as Ogura's did.
GP simulations
Here are the longer-distance runs, with the caveat that the starting age of the tyre isn't clear.
By average laptime
Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) 1m30.243s, 20 laps
Luca Marini (Honda) 1m30.582s, 14 laps
Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) 1m30.681s, 18 laps
Pedro Acosta (KTM) 1m30.702s, 20 laps**
Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati) 1m30.770s, 15 laps
Maverick Vinales (Tech3 KTM) 1m31.065s, 18 laps*
Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM) 1m31.376s, 18 laps
Brad Binder (KTM) 1m31.388s, 21 laps
Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) 1m31.796s, 20 laps
Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) 1m31.805s, 18 laps**
* 5 (!) outlier laps deleted
** runs cut off by a red flag, then seemingly resumed
18-lap 'race'
1 Bezzecchi
2 Acosta +6.915s
3 Zarco +7.549s
4 Vinales +16.865s
5 Binder +19.631s
6 Bastianini +20.130s
7 Miller +29.301s
Bezzecchi's impressive run was still a touch worse than what Marc Marquez had managed in the same test the year before - but it compared favourably to both Marquez brothers in this particular test.
Both Alex and Marc planned afternoon race simulations and both crashed before they could be completed.
Here's how they were tracking relative to Bezzecchi.
6 laps (before Marc's crash)
Bezzecchi
M Marquez +0.938s
A Marquez +2.610s
10 laps (before Alex's crash)
Bezzecchi
A Marquez +4.390s
