Marc Marquez may be an alien, but his rivals also generously paved the way for him. That, in essence, is Carlo Pernat's merciless verdict after the Malaysian Grand Prix. In his interview on Fast By Prosecco, the Italian manager praised the Ducati rider's performance at Sepang before settling scores with Aprilia and Marco Bezzecchi. According to him, the championship could have had a very different outcome. And this time, Pernat isn't trying to sugarcoat anything.
Pernat: " Bezzecchi and Aprilia lost the championship »
The verdict is unequivocal. " I think Bezzecchi and Aprilia have lost the championship. I'm absolutely convinced of it ." For Pernat, the problem isn't simply that Marquez proved superior. It's primarily that Aprilia and its rider missed a golden opportunity to capitalize on the Spaniard's struggles in the first half of the season.
“ Some mistakes are unacceptable . Marc was more than a hundred points behind .” And the Italian insists to GPOne : “ Otherwise, the championship would have remained open until the end .” The accusation is harsh, but it raises a genuine sporting question.
How did a rider who was up to 102 points behind manage to regain control of the championship to the point of now having a first chance at the title as early as Qatar ? The answer does not lie solely in Ducati 's performance.
Marquez turned the season around, Aprilia couldn't keep up
We must, of course, begin by giving Marquez his due. His comeback is a demonstration of consistency, race intelligence, and the ability to capitalize on every opportunity.
But Pernat believes Aprilia had the means to make this comeback much more difficult. The RS-GP has demonstrated its competitiveness on several occasions this season. Bezzecchi himself has proven he can win and compete with the best.
The problem lies in converting this speed into consistent results. Between mistakes, missed opportunities, and dropped points, the Italian failed to maintain the necessary pressure on Marquez.
A motorcycle capable of winning races isn't enough to win a championship. You also have to avoid giving points to your rivals. And that's precisely where Pernat sees Aprilia 's failure.
Bez is not pleased 👀 #MalaysianGP 🇲🇾 pic.twitter.com/SvJFbzofdX
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 1, 2026
Sepang: Was sixth place one too many for Bezzecchi?
The Malaysian Grand Prix provided another illustration of this difference. While Marquez won the race by more than four seconds over Pedro Acosta, Bezzecchi had to settle for sixth place.
Another opportunity to close the gap turned into an additional advantage for the Ducati rider . Pernat didn't hide his disappointment: " Bezzecchi, in sixth place, isn't where we expected him to be, or at least we expected better from him . "
The analysis is all the more harsh given that the Italian rider has a machine whose competitiveness is hardly in doubt. At Sepang, Ai Ogura notably finished fourth with his TrackHouse Aprilia.
This serves as a reminder that Bezzecchi 's difficulties cannot be systematically attributed to his bike. However, it's important not to completely reverse the blame: Marquez also built his comeback through his own performance, and not solely thanks to his rivals' mistakes.
« He's a Martian "Pernat, however, refuses to downplay Marquez"
Because the Italian manager is absolutely not trying to diminish the Ducati champion's merit . Quite the opposite. " He's a Martian, quite simply. A Martian who arrived in a magnificent spaceship and gave us an incredible show ."
Pernat is even annoyed by commentators who present the Sepang victory as a simple race of management. " He put almost five seconds ahead of everyone! If that's what managing the race is, imagine if he hadn't! "
In his opinion, Marquez dominated because he had the ability to do so. And his opponents never found the consistency needed to stop him.
So, what do we remember?
- Pernat accuses Aprilia and Bezzecchi of having let the championship slip away.
- Bezzecchi has the speed, but his mistakes and inconsistency have been costly.
- Marquez turns a 102-point deficit into his first title opportunity in Qatar.
Carlo Pernat isn't saying Marquez doesn't deserve his title. He's stating something far more damning for Aprilia : the Italian manufacturer may have had the means to prevent him from winning it.
And if the championship ends at Losail, one question is likely to haunt Noale for a long time: was Marquez really unbeatable, or did Aprilia simply forget how to beat him until the very end?
