Our Carletto Pernat described the Austin Grand Prix as a potential litmus test: the perfect track to gauge both Marc Marquez’s true current form and Aprilia’s, as well. The answers are in, and, after the third GP of the season, it seems clear that Aprilia is currently outperforming Ducati and, above all, that Marc Marquez isn’t physically fit enough to make a difference.
Here's Carletto’s full commentary on the Austin weekend, as he sips his usual glass of excellent Prosecco DOC.
"The litmus test was the United States Grand Prix in Austin. A track where Marc Márquez has always won, except when he fell last year. A track where Ducati, on its home turf, has always dominated. But this time, in the third race of the season, Aprilia came through and took first and second. They could've even taken third, because the podium would've been all Aprilia without Ogura’s technical issue. After also winning the Sprint with Martin. This is a strong signal. It’s a real shift in the World Championship.
Perhaps Ducati is also lucky that we’re not heading straight to Qatar, because there would've been very little time to react. Here, the problem is serious. Bezzecchi was out of this world. A confident Marco, sure of his abilities, aware that he has a bike built together with the team. And when there’s harmony in a team, when there’s joy, you get results. You can really see the atmosphere. You can see that everything is working.
And then there’s Martin, who was reborn. No one expected such a quick, competitive comeback. This means that the Aprilia is truly strong. And, on the other side, there’s a Ducati that’s getting its comeuppance... a real one. Because these results clearly show that Ducati has problems. Development issues, because the 2025-2026 bike isn’t the same as the 2024 model. It isn't perfect. It’s a bike that’s harder to get right.
And then there's the biggest problem. The top rider, Marc Márquez. The strongest of them all, but, today, with obvious physical issues. You can see it, he’s touching his shoulder on the grid. He’s not the Márquez we know. Put a difficult bike and a Márquez who isn’t at one hundred percent, and the result is inevitable. On the other hand, there's an Aprilia that’s a sight to behold. Bezzecchi almost seems to be gliding over the water. An impressive ease. And you can see it with the second team too, with Ogura going incredibly fast. Too bad for Fernandez, who’s struggling instead.
I expected more from Di Giannantonio, but the problems clearly lie with the bike, because he’s one of the riders in top form. Bagnaia, on the other hand, is back to where he was last year, far from the positions that matter. Right now, Ducati needs to focus on Márquez, hoping he’s okay, and, on Di Giannantonio. But, above all, they need to fix this bike.
Instead, KTM relies on Acosta’s performanc. He's always extraordinary, but, today, we must also mention a great Bastianini who pulled off an incredible comeback and was able to battle Márquez right to the end. And, here, KTM needs to ask itself some serious questions. Why were the updates given to Viñales and not to Bastianini? Now that Viñales is gone, one has to wonder. Did those solutions really work? Because, as soon as things change, we see a different Bastianini. If I were him, I’d be angry, and if I were KTM, I’d be doing some serious soul-searching.
There’s little to say about the Japanese teams. Honda is always there, but it lacks the rider who makes the difference. Mir is fast but falls too much, Marini brings home decent results but nothing more, and Zarco is inconsistent. Yamaha, on the other hand, has plummeted. We’re at a really low level, almost embarrassing. People are even saying that in the 'Yamaha Cup', the Turk is winning… and that shows just how far we’ve fallen.
The fact remains that it’s a wonderful championship. Now there’s a month-long break, and, during, this month Ducati will have to work hard, both technically and psychologically. Because no one expected a situation like this at the start of the season."