Aprilia is already looking ahead to a big change in MotoGP. In 2027, the rules will be very different. Engines will become smaller, going from 1000cc to 850cc. Ride-height and holeshot devices will not be allowed anymore, and aerodynamics will be more limited. The tyres will also change from Michelin to Pirelli.

Because of this, Aprilia must build a completely new MotoGP bike.

Fabiano Sterlacchini, Aprilia’s MotoGP Technical Director, explained the plan. He said Aprilia will keep working on the current RS-GP bike at the start of 2026, but by April that year, most of the work will move to the new 850cc project.

There is something that helps Aprilia and the other teams: an engine freeze. From 2025 to 2026, manufacturers cannot change the engine design of their 1000cc bikes unless they are in the special D-concession group. This means all the factories can stop spending time on the old engine and focus on the new one.

Sterlacchini said the 850cc engine is already being designed because making a MotoGP engine takes a long time. Aprilia has also split its engineers into two groups: one for finishing the 2026 bike and another for starting the 2027 prototype.

A rule that stopped teams from testing the 850cc bikes on track has now finished. This means private tests with the new bikes can begin. So far, KTM is the only brand that has shown its new 850cc engine in public.

Aprilia goes into this new era feeling strong. In the most recent season, the team won three of the last four races and finished second in the Constructors’ Championship. Their factory rider, Marco Bezzecchi, finished third in the rider standings.