Mugello MotoGP quotes: Aprilia joy as rivals count the cost

Round Seven – Mugello

MotoGP Mugello Grand Prix

The Italian colours sweep across the Mugello sky before the Grand Prix, setting the tone for a day heavy on theatre, noise and national pride.

Marco Bezzecchi – P1

“The win in Mugello was fantastic – a dream that I’ve had since childhood. I used to always come here with my father, my mother, and my sisters to see MotoGP, and I dreamed of being there someday. Over time, that dream became a desire to win right here. Winning in Mugello was an indescribable emotion, as well as seeing all the fans and the team happy and emotional.”

Bezzecchi salutes the Mugello crowd after turning a childhood dream into a home MotoGP victory aboard an Italian Aprilia.

Jorge Martin – P2

“I’m extremely happy for Aprilia and for Marco as well. Seeing all the fans below the podium was truly spectacular. I had a few difficulties in the race, but I still gave one hundred percent. The bike is working, the team is working extremely well, and the work method is the right one. It is a combination of all these factors which is allowing us to achieve such significant results.”

Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi share the Mugello podium, the Aprilia pair giving Noale a home Grand Prix one-two and a major Championship statement.

Francesco Bagnaia – P3

“It was a very intense race. I gave it my all, as I should, and maybe even a little more than usual. This morning we made a step forward at the start, improving an aspect of the electronics that helped me a lot. The goal right from the start was to get into first place and manage the race, and I managed that for half the race. But then there was a drop in rear grip, and after being passed by Bezzecchi, I decided not to continue pushing excessively: I think it was the right decision. Despite the improvements, we are still struggling with tyre wear and grip, especially on the straights, but we must continue working in this direction.”

Bagnaia beats Ogura to the line by just 0.034s, saving Ducati a Mugello podium after the Trackhouse Aprilia rider launched one final attack at Bucine.

Ai Ogura – P4

“First of all, I’m super happy about the start. This time I did a good jump and even how I managed the first corners was really good. Also, after that, the pace was a lot faster than the riders around me, especially in the last part. The last lap move was just a try for third – of course, I did my best but I did not expect that I would finish on the podium – finishing this kind of race right behind Pecco would also not be really good, so I had to try and it didn’t work, but it was OK. The top 3 used their tires to make a gap in the beginning and I didn’t do that, so I had something left at the end to catch up. A lot positives to take from this Sunday and a lot to learn from Friday and Saturday.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P5

“Unfortunately, my race was hard right from the start, I was packed in the group and I had to close the gas. But we had to believe it, we had a strong pace, especially in the second half of the race. Weh ad a great race, we must be happy. It’s always satisfying and fun to overtake many riders. Obviously, I wanted something more here at Mugello, it was my home race. I tried to do my maximum, I would have loved to be on the podium, but it was a great weekend overall, we must be happy!”

Fabio Di Giannantonio leads Enea Bastianini during the Italian Grand Prix, the VR46 rider recovering to fifth while Bastianini’s difficult KTM weekend ended in another crash.

Pedro Acosta – P6

“I hope the fans enjoyed that one. It was good from the inside also; some nice passes. I’m satisfied. Today we knew what we were missing and now it is time to check the data again and work out why. It is always nice to battle with Marc! I was trying to understand what he was doing different to me and his lines. I recovered and could pass him but then I was struggling a bit in another area of the track. Overall, everything went well.”

Acosta, Marc Marquez, Ogura and Di Giannantonio work through the chasing pack at Mugello, with the scrap ultimately costing them touch with the leading Aprilia-Ducati podium battle.

Marc Márquez – P7

“I’m really happy with how the weekend went. I was able to show my speed at times, but I knew I’d struggle more over race distance. I was still in the fight for fourth place for most of the race, and that’s positive. I struggled in the right-hand turns, and in the final stages, even in the changes of direction, but I think that’s normal as this track is one of the most physically demanding on the calendar. I tried to use all my cards, but the others had more. I’m happy because this is an important first step in my recovery, and we’ll see how much we can improve in the next races.”

Marquez, Aldeguer and Acosta ran nose-to-tail in the chasing group, a bruising battle that helped the Aprilias and Bagnaia escape up the road.

Raul Fernandez – P8

“I feel bad but we can’t turn back the time and we can just learn from what happened. The reference point of braking into the corner was the same as yesterday and I braked but, for some reason, I couldn’t shift down to second gear so I remained in third and went wide. I don’t know why, we still need to analyze what happened – I feel very sorry for the team and Aprilia. This weekend we had the pace to fight for the podium and lost one important opportunity, which is disappointing and made it a difficult race. Other than that, we have to take the positives and try to be back on our best level in Hungary.”

Raul Fernandez had podium pace across the Mugello weekend, but his Turn One mistake on the opening lap left him with a long recovery ride rather than another Aprilia rostrum challenge.

Fermin Aldeguer – P9

“It was a positive weekend. At the beginning of the race today, we were really fast and able to stay with Marc and Pedro’s group. From that battle onwards, I started having some issues with the front tyre. The bike became more difficult to turn, and I had to rely heavily on the rear tyre to make it corner, which caused us to struggle. Physically, we’re feeling good, although I have to say this race was an important test from that point of view. We need to learn how to manage the front tyre better. Without that issue, we could have fought for a stronger result.”

Fermin Aldeguer leads Acosta in the early Mugello exchanges, the Gresini rookie showing strong pace before front tyre management became a limiting factor later in the race.

Diogo Moreira – P10

“I had fun today, but it was challenging to manage everything perfectly and maintain a good pace until the end. I did my best, learned a lot from riding behind strong rivals and battling with them, and we secured a top-10 finish in Sunday’s race, which is important. We’re working really well, and we need to keep going in this direction.”

Diogo Moreira leads Raul Fernandez at Mugello, the Brazilian eventually emerging as the top Honda finisher while Fernandez recovered from his costly Turn One mistake.

Brad Binder – P11

“Two 11th positions to write-off the weekend and far from what I was expecting. We had some highs and lows here but generally we missed some pace. I was not able to roll enough, especially through sector three and onto the main straight. It was difficult to find what we missed to go with the group in front of me. We were stuck a bit in No Man’s Land. We need to find some speed soon.”

Binder heads Alex Rins, Di Giannantonio and Marini through Mugello, with the pack compressing behind as riders searched for grip and passing chances in the heat.

Joan Mir – P12

“We’ve had a tough weekend, so we can take some positives from the end of today. I kept my cool at the start and worked on settling into my own pace, avoiding any crazy risks. Step by step I was able to move forward and close in on the top ten which I knew was our maximum given the overall feeling of the weekend. Like this I reached the group battling for the top ten and started battling with them, but I didn’t quite have enough tyre left under me to take the maximum from this battle. Diogo and I had a good battle, and I am happy to bring the bike home.”

Joan Mir leads Luca Marini as the Honda pair scrap for points, both riders finding positives but still finishing more than 20 seconds from Bezzecchi’s winning Aprilia.

Luca Marini – P13

“An amazing start and first few corners this race meant I was able to gain a lot of positions and I was feeling really comfortable on the bike, my position on track, everything because it wasn’t easy. On lap four or so I got sent into the gravel by Fernandez and I had to do everything again, pushing a lot to catch Mir and Moreira. When I arrived to them the front right of the tyre was finished and no matter what I tried I couldn’t do more. It’s a pity because before the incident I was in a good position, this is racing and the positive is that we were able to recover twice. We try again in Hungary.”

Luca Marini heads Alex Rins and Jack Miller in the lower points battle, where Honda and Yamaha again found themselves well adrift of the Aprilia-Ducati fight at the front.

Franco Morbidelli – P14

“I was expecting a race like this. On Friday we were strong, then we couldn’t improve even more. But the weekend was not bad overall. We must keep all the positives: we started well, we were directly on Q2, it means we are there. About the negatives, we’re working and we will overcome them. But it was a great weekend overall, especially for the atmosphere, here at Mugello is always amazing. I felt the energy of the Italian fans, this year more than ever!”

Franco Morbidelli, Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini run in close quarters at Mugello, a mid-pack fight that underlined how hard it was to make progress once trapped outside the front group.

Jack Miller – P15

“Overall, I‘m happy with the weekend. It was another weekend of progression and we continue to understand both the strengths and the limitations of our package. We were right there with the other Yamahas throughout the race, and unfortunately Toprak lost a position on the final lap because of the track limits penalty, but that‘s part of racing. The reality is that when you‘re fighting in a group like that, even a couple of tenths can make a huge difference, especially here at Mugello. If you can‘t close the gap before the final corner, the long straight makes it very difficult to defend or attack. I had to be very patient with the bike today, particularly on corner exit. At times that left me a little vulnerable in the battles around me, but we managed to stay in the fight and recover positions when opportunities came. We continue to work hard and we tried some new things this weekend. The important thing is that we keep moving forward, gathering information and making progress. We know where we need to improve and we‘re all pushing in the same direction.”

Jack Miller battles Joan Mir during the Italian Grand Prix, with Miller eventually banking the final point for Yamaha while Mir led the factory Honda effort home.

Toprak Razgatlioglu – P16

“The final position is not the most important thing for me today. Of course, without the penalty I would have finished 15th and scored a point, but what matters most is the progress we made during the weekend. This morning we changed something on the bike and immediately I felt much better. The bike was stopping better, I could carry more corner speed and, most importantly, I finally had the engine braking feeling I had been missing. That made a big difference and allowed me to ride more naturally. In the race I was able to stay with the group and my pace was much closer to the other Yamaha riders than it had been on Friday. I could close the gap in the corners, but it was still very difficult to overtake because we were losing time on the straights and on corner exit. I also lost some time during the race with an issue related to the start device, and later I spent several laps battling with Fabio Quartararo. Those fights cost me a bit of rear tyre performance for the final laps, but overall I am happy because we made a clear step forward. The most positive thing is that we finally understood something important about the bike. My crew chief and the team worked very well, and I think we found a direction that can help us continue improving in the next races.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu leads Jack Miller in the Yamaha fight, but a final-lap track-limits penalty ultimately dropped Toprak behind Miller and cost him the final point.

Maverick Viñales – P17

“Today the objective was to finish the race. After lap four I needed to slow down a little bit – otherwise, I wouldn’t have made it to the end. I couldn’t brake the way I normally do to really put the bike in the correct position in the middle of the corner. So, I had a lot of understeer because I couldn’t force the front. Apart from that, it was good, and the bike was working well. There were a few riders in front of me and, if I had more strength, I’m sure I could have taken some of those places at the end. It was a weekend when I finished all the sessions and the two races which is good training for me. Now we’ll move on to Balaton and try to get closer to the front.”

Fabio Quartararo – P18

“It was a really difficult weekend in general. I felt that I could push a bit in the first laps but then the feeling got worse in some corners. To avoid crashing, I decided to slow down a bit and reduce the risks I was taking. It was a tough weekend, but I am hopeful that the good feeling with the bike will return at other circuits so we can have a more fun GP.”

Fabio Quartararo leads Raul Fernandez and Maverick Viñales, but Yamaha’s Sunday again faded as the race progressed and the European brands disappeared up the road.

Michelle Pirro – P19

“It was an emotional weekend. Racing in Italy with Team Gresini is not something that happens every day, and experiencing these feelings again 14 years later was truly special. I would like to thank Nadia for the opportunity and the entire team for the great work they did. Yesterday’s crash affected me a little in terms of confidence and also mentally—I honestly didn’t want to make any more mistakes. Today the bike was perfect, with excellent balance, and I really enjoyed the race. Perhaps with a slightly better start we could have finished a bit further up the order; our pace was not far off that of the three or four riders ahead of us.”

Enea Bastianini – DNF

“I was very ambitious in this race because my pace was good on Friday. I felt more confident with the medium rear tyre than the soft we used in the Sprint. The limit was the front tyre and after three laps we started to have a lot of movement. Also, on the straight I had some movement just before getting on the brakes. This was physically quite tough. The crash was in the same corner as yesterday, but it was a different crash. Yesterday it was on braking but today I fell when I released the brakes and was trying to get on the throttle. It’s a shame but I know Balaton Park will be a better track for us. Let’s try and find something so I feel better over the longer distance.”

Enea Bastianini leads Diogo Moreira and the mid-pack charge before another difficult KTM Sunday ended with Bastianini out and Moreira as the top Honda in tenth.

Alex Rins – DNF

“I lost the front. I mean, I went into the box to analyse what happened, but it’s difficult to understand the reason for a crash in five minutes. I didn’t feel like I did anything different from the laps before and, honestly, I’m a bit disappointed to finish the weekend like this. This weekend was not bad for me: I was riding in a good way. Today, I was struggling a bit more with turning, but the setting was the same as yesterday, so the only things that were different were the tyre and the temperature.”

Alex Rins had shown flashes of stronger pace at Mugello, but his Sunday ended with a front-end crash at San Donato after he lost the front into Turn One.

Cal Crutchlow – DNF

“I knew the race was going to be challenging after not feeling at my best this morning. I tried to maintain a consistent pace and make it to the finish, but it was really difficult. Overall, the weekend was positive, we achieved what we needed to do, I enjoyed being back on the bike, and I felt at home with the LCR family.”

Crutchlow works the LCR Honda over the Mugello ripple strip, the Briton later admitting the race was always going to be challenging after not feeling at his best on Sunday morning.

Team Managers

Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing

“This is a weekend that we’ll remember for a long time. In our first GP partnered with Monster, Aprilia practically broke every record possible, thanks to our extraordinary riders, thanks to an extremely talented satellite team, thanks to a one-of-a-kind factory, and to a group filled with Italian pride. Setting all the records on a track like Mugello has a unique flavour. Both Jorge Martín and Marco Bezzecchi will go down in Aprilia history for the record speed of 368.6 km/h. Both Marco’s pole position and race were particularly emotional, also thanks to the helmet dedicated to Alex Zanardi, an example of life and determination for everyone.”

The Aprilia Racing garage erupts after Bezzecchi and Martin turned Mugello into a Noale showcase, sealing another one-two in what is becoming a defining 2026 campaign.

Aki Ajo – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“Today was finally positive after some challenging days in Mugello. Unfortunately our performance here was not what we expected. On the positive side I think Pedro had one of the best races of his MotoGP career and fought all the way; it was incredible. We will analyze and regroup in these few days before Hungary and I think we will be back to more competitiveness at Balaton Park.”

Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“It was a challenging weekend for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team, as this circuit puts a lot of demand on the front end – an area where we’re still working to improve. Both riders struggled to find the right setup and consistent pace. Enea made a strong start from P11 and was fighting inside the top ten before another crash, which shows the potential is there. Maverick faced similar issues and, on such a physically demanding track, it was difficult for him to compensate. Now the focus shifts quickly to Hungary, where we expect the package to suit the track better and aim to come back stronger.”

Pablo Nieto – VR46 Team Manager

“I think we always have to look the positives and one of these is the fact that Diggia is in great shape. We must keep working in this direction, because we saw that he has been very competitive during all the weekend. It’s a pity for that little mistake in Qualifying, starting behind in this MotoGP is the 70% of the weekend. But we are happy because yesterday’s Sprint was amazing with the third place. In today’s race we struggled at the start, but Diggia bounced back. It’s always a bit bittersweet because we had the pace to fight for the podium, but we are happy with the weekend overall. With Franco we struggled more, we are working on giving him the confidence back. But we are seeing the steps forward, and that means we’re going in the right direction to come back stronger.”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha Team Director

“We knew from the beginning that Mugello would not be an easy weekend for us, but I think we defended ourselves well in the race. The final result is obviously not the one the team is aiming for, but we continue to make small steps forward. Both riders fought hard to bring home points, and the fact that we are now consistently battling around the points-paying positions is already a significant improvement compared to the start of the season. Our target now is to keep reducing the gap to the top ten little by little. We have started to follow the right path, and the important thing is to continue building on the progress we have shown in recent races.”

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Aprilia Team Principal

“It was a great race today and I think we all enjoyed it – a great start from Ai and a fantastic recovery. At the end, we were so disappointed to miss the podium by only 0.0034 seconds but, anyway, it was another solid race – a great performance from Ai. Raul made one small mistake at the start, he arrived too long into the first corner, then he lost a lot of positions and needed to recover, making back around 10 positions during the race. It was a great race from both of them but, unfortunately, the first lap compromised Raul’s race. Anyway, we are very happy, it was a good race and a good weekend in Gulf colors, which always brings good luck for us. We enjoyed the day.”

Aprilia celebrates a landmark home Grand Prix result at Mugello after Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin delivered a factory one-two for the Noale marque.

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“It was a challenging Grand Prix for us. Starting further back on the grid meant it was always going to be a tough race for Fabio – and indeed it was, as it was a weekend in which he never felt fully comfortable with the bike. Álex unfortunately saw his race end early. It’s a shame, but the main thing is that he is unhurt, especially considering the high speeds at which the riders approach Turn 1. Despite the negative results, we know that these challenging GPs are valuable as they are the best for learning and development: these negative weekends can turn into a positive on the long term. We now turn our attention to Hungary, where we aim to refocus and come back stronger.”

The Frecce Tricolori paint the sky above Mugello, a fittingly Italian prelude to a Grand Prix eventually won by an Italian rider on Italian machinery.

Mugello MotoGP Race Results

Pos

Rider

Bike

Time/Gap

1	M. Bezzecchi	Apr	40m57.347
2	J. Martin	Apr	+3.559
3	F. Bagnaia	Duc	+5.098
4	A. Ogura	Apr	+5.132
5	F. Di Giannantonio	Duc	+5.453
6	P. Acosta	Ktm	+7.467
7	M. Marquez	Duc	+10.762
8	R. Fernandez	Apr	+13.380
9	F. Aldeguer	Duc	+14.644
10	D. Moreira	Hon	+21.366
11	B. Binder	Ktm	+21.479
12	J. Mir	Hon	+21.795
13	L. Marini	Hon	+22.059
14	F. Morbidelli	Duc	+29.789
15	J. Miller	Yam	+32.289
16	T. Razgatlioglu	Yam	+31.920
17	M. Viñales	Ktm	+32.717
18	F. Quartararo	Yam	+34.335
19	M. Pirro	Duc	+40.553
Not Classified
NC	E. Bastianini	Ktm	12 laps
NC	A. Rins	Yam	13 laps
NC	C. Crutchlow	Hon	13 laps

Mugello MotoGP Event Top Speeds

Pos

Rider

Bike

Speed

Session

1	J. Martin	Apr	368.6	FP2
2	M. Bezzecchi	Apr	368.6	Sprint
3	D. Moreira	Hon	367.3	GP
4	E. Bastianini	Ktm	367.3	Sprint
5	A. Ogura	Apr	366.1	Sprint
6	M. Marquez	Duc	366.1	GP
7	P. Acosta	Ktm	364.8	GP
8	F. Bagnaia	Duc	364.8	Sprint
9	L. Marini	Hon	364.8	Sprint
10	B. Binder	Ktm	363.6	Sprint
11	J. Mir	Hon	362.4	Sprint
12	J. Miller	Yam	362.4	Sprint
13	F. Di Giannantonio	Duc	361.2	GP
14	C. Crutchlow	Hon	360.0	GP
15	R. Fernandez	Apr	360.0	GP
16	F. Aldeguer	Duc	360.0	GP
17	F. Morbidelli	Duc	360.0	GP
18	F. Quartararo	Yam	360.0	Sprint
19	M. Viñales	Ktm	360.0	GP
20	A. Rins	Yam	360.0	Sprint
21	T. Razgatlioglu	Yam	358.8	Sprint
22	M. Pirro	Duc	357.6	GP

2026 MotoGP Championship Standings

Pos

Rider

Points

1	M. Bezzecchi	173
2	J. Martin	156
3	F. Di Giannantonio	134
4	P. Acosta	103
5	A. Ogura	92
6	R. Fernandez	88
7	F. Bagnaia	82
8	M. Marquez	71
9	A. Marquez	67
10	F. Aldeguer	58
11	L. Marini	46
12	B. Binder	42
13	E. Bastianini	39
14	F. Morbidelli	38
15	F. Quartararo	37
16	J. Zarco	34
17	D. Moreira	23
18	J. Mir	15
19	A. Rins	9
20	M. Viñales	5
21	A. Fernandez	4
22	T. Razgatlioglu	4
23	J. Miller	3
24	J. Folger
25	M. Pirro
26	C. Crutchlow

2026 MotoGP Calendar

Rnd	Date	Event	Circuit
1	01 Mar	Thai	Chang International Circuit
2	22 Mar	Brazil*	Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna
3	29 Mar	US	Circuit of the Americas
4	26 Apr	Spain**	Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto
5	10 May	France	Le Mans
6	17 May	Catalonia	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
7	31 May	Italy	Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello
8	07 Jun	Hungary	Balaton Park Circuit
9	21 Jun	Czech	Automotodrom Brno
10	28 Jun	Netherlands	TT Circuit Assen
11	12 Jul	Germany	Sachsenring
12	09 Aug	GB	Silverstone Circuit
13	30 Aug	Aragon	MotorLand Aragon
14	13 Sep	San Marino	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
15	20 Sep	Austria	Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
16	04 Oct	Japan	Mobility Resort Motegi
17	11 Oct	Indonesia	Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
18	25 Oct	Australia	Phillip Island
19	01 Nov	Malaysia	Petronas Sepang International Circuit
20	08 Nov	Qatar	Lusail International Circuit
21	22 Nov	Portugal	Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
22	29 Nov	Valencia	Circuit Ricardo Tormo