Aprilia's situation is not simple at the moment, with its two factory bikes entered by Fausto Gresini's private team. It is the only manufacturer to have chosen this solution, while the others have an official team, possibly with one or more satellite teams.
Dorna wishes that Aprilia, KTM et Suzuki provide a second team, and Romano Albesiano, Aprilia's Competition Director, therefore plans to equip two additional drivers in 2019, also to facilitate development.
« We're talking to a few teams " said Albesiano. “ There are positives and negatives to adding a satellite team at this phase of our development. This would be good for many reasons.
“But we are also not a big structure, and to properly support us a factory team at MotoGP level would not be so easy. So we're probably considering not doing it next year.
“For 2019, if things go as I expect, it should definitely be possible ", did he declare.
Until then, it will be necessary to improve the reliability of the machine, which presented some shortcomings at the start of the season. “ We had problems with the pneumatic system. We've had this problem a few times before, so we had to fix it, but unfortunately it happened again.
“It’s not about redesigning everything. It's all about the little details and strategy. There are a few small components in the valves that we need to reconsider. But this part has been working for a long time, so now something is happening in this area. The system is the same as last year. We have never had this problem. »
Si Alex Espargaro was forced to retire on Sunday, but he achieved the fifth time during the tests on Monday. Albesiano remains positive: “ For us it was a very positive weekend because we obtained the best qualification for Aprilia MotoGP. Espargaro did everything perfectly. We've done almost everything. It's just a matter of having the potential, and then if we're strong, we'll be there. »
Photos © Aprilia
Source: crash.net
