Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi has admitted that the latest aero updates on the factory MotoGP bikes have in part been inspired by the Aprilia package.
An all-new rear wing appeared on the red machines during Free Practice 2 for the United States Grand Prix on Saturday morning. It evidently got a good reception from factory riders Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, who both ran the update in the subsequent qualifying session.
Asked during the FP2 broadcast if this was a case of Ducati playing aerodynamic catch-up to Aprilia, which has won the first two grands prix of the season with Marco Bezzecchi, Tardozzi gave an honest reply.
"Yeah, it's obvious that you always have to look to who is leading," he said. "And it seems that Aprilia in this moment is performing very well. So, why not have a look at its performance?"
The latest development at the rear of the bike does indeed give the Ducati a more similar look not only to the Aprilia but also to the majority of the bikes on the grid. It is one of the updates most instantly recognisable to the layperson in recent times.
Satellite teams VR46 and Gresini will likely have to wait before they can get their hands on the latest kit. Mixing and matching has been a feature of the six-strong Ducati attack's aero approach in recent months, so it remains to be seen whether the independents would automatically warm to the latest iteration.
Marquez has referenced using the 'older' Ducati aero in the early part of this season, purely because it makes the bike less physical to ride. Should he persist with the rear wing, at least one aspect of his aero will be the very latest.
The wing did not prove a magic fix for the factory Ducatis during a fraught qualifying session at COTA on Saturday. Marquez and Bagnaia could do no better than the second row, with VR46's Fabio Di Giannantonio taking pole ahead of Bezzecchi.
Traffic did however play a major role in the battle for pole, with Marquez having to abort a flying lap on his first run after closing in on Bezzecchi at Turn 12.
