Ducati currently has eight bikes in the MotoGP grid – two from the factory team and six from three satellite teams. Meanwhile, in 2023 Aprilia had for the first time an independent team, expanding its presence on the grid.
Massimo Rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing, acknowledged the importance of the number of bikes for the development of the motorcycle, particularly in the case of Ducati, stating to journalist Giovanni Zamagni: ‘It is certain that having more riders, not just one, but three more, provides more information and is more important to make it easier for everyone. I think Ducati made a big leap because of the work, the capacity, etc.. But they also gathered information from so many riders on so many bikes, eight bikes are a huge advantage‘.
That said, the Italian criticized Dorna for allowing Ducati to have a total of eight bikes in MotoGP, especially considering the current scenario of the premier class: ‘I believe it is a mistake on Dorna’s part to allow Ducati to have eight bikes and I say it publicly. In the past, it happened like this, but there was no such difference. The current level of MotoGP is not the same as five years ago, European factories have made a huge leap: aerodynamics, starting to approach Formula 1… which is not necessarily good. Moving away from the classic, MotoGP should be something unique, aerodynamics with two wheels. Then it is true that the spectacle should be the priority, aerodynamics is one of the limits‘.
