At the start of the last Grand Prix of the 2020 MotoGP season, representatives of the six manufacturers involved in the premier category spoke to the press gathered virtually in Portimão.
In turn, everyone was able to take stock of their season before answering questions from journalists.
After Davide Brivio for Suzuki, Paolo Ciabatti for Ducati, Lin Jarvis for Yamaha, Mike Leitner for KTM, and Alberto Puig for Honda, Massimo rivola, the boss of Aprilia Racing, declared himself satisfied with the work accomplished in 2020 given the disruptions caused both by the health crisis and the conviction of Andrea Iannone.
At a time when Aprilia remains the only manufacturer still benefiting from concessions, the choice of teammateAleix Espargaro in 2021, and therefore as a result of the Noale test drivers, takes on its full importance. And there, between Bradley Smith et Lorenzo Savadori, Massimo rivola had opened a third lane, that of a Moto2 rider, before closing it four days later (see here) faced with the refusal of Marco Bezzecchi, Joe Roberts et Fabio DiGiannantonio...
Aprilia will be present at the shakedown in Qatar on March 5 with its three riders, then at the official tests from the 6th to the 7th and from the 19th to the 21st, after which it will be decided who will be the teammate ofAleix I will espargaro in 2021 ...
Massimo rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing: “ Certainly, we had good expectations for 2020. The bike was, and is, clearly a step forward compared to 2019 and those of the past. Obviously it's pretty much a new bike for us and we need to put in some miles. In that sense, this year hasn't been perfect for us because of Covid and what we know. For our part, we improved by more than half a second compared to our opponents and so it was a good step forward. Obviously, when you're far away, the first part of the course is the easiest, and now it's more difficult. The competition has been pretty fun this year because if you look at the last few races we finished 9th 15 seconds behind first whereas last year we finished ninth 33 seconds behind. This has been more or less the average gap this entire season, so the competition is now a lot more fun and the show is clearly better. We are close to the main group and it is a motivation instead of a pressure, because we feel that we are close and we want to take the last step forward. »
How close are you to determining who Aleix's teammate will be I will espargaro ?
« Stability is of course important. Bradley (Smith) has done a good job this season. He was supposed to be the test driver but in the end, when he raced, he became closer and closer to Aleix (Espargaró). We also offered an opportunity to Lorenzo Savadori to allow him to be a better test driver next year. Who will Aleix's teammate be next year? We still don't know. I know it's late but everything happened later than usual this year. We hope we will find out very soon. »
You have extensive experience in Formula 1 where technical problems are common. What do you think of the sanction imposed on Yamaha?
« Regarding the technical comparison with F1, I would say that MotoGP has a very positive aspect, which is that it can be quicker to make a decision. It is likely that in F1 this kind of solution would not have happened and would have taken much longer. I have nothing more to say about the decision itself. »
You say you haven't made your decision yet about the second pilot next year. Are you going to look for a rookie or an experienced driver instead, and perhaps promote Bradley Smith again as a starter?
« Regarding the second driver, of course, Bradley is a valid option. He is a very experienced driver and he could really have a chance. We also look at the market for young talents. Moto2 shows that it is a very good training for MotoGP, and next year there will be many (Moto2 riders in MotoGP) so maybe one more is not a bad idea. But we're still evaluating that. »
here Paolo Ciabatti for Ducati
here Mike Leitner for KTM
Photo credit: MotoGP.com
