At RNF Aprilia we were not happy to see the 15th and 18th places for its drivers Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez at the end of the first two free practice sessions valid for the Grand Prix of the Americas, third round of the championship of the 2023 MotoGP world. While the two official 2023 RS-GPs secured their places in Q2, the RS-GP22s stalled and fell into the Q1 trap.
Despite a record that did not live up to expectations, Miguel Oliveira, who is returning from injury, managed to collect several positive feedbacks, gaining information that bodes well for not only qualifying, but also tonight's Sprint. On the other side of the box, the process of adaptation of Raul fernandez to theAprilia continues: the Spaniard focused mainly on the soft tires, continuing the work already started during the first two rounds of the season.
« The day was a little different than usual, so much so that I suffered two falls in the same session. Something that rarely happens to me » comments the Portuguese. “ Overall, though, I think the free practice sessions were positive. I think that we have the potential to go even faster, the good thing is ».
He adds : " going through Q1 is not ideal, but I'm sure we will work as hard as possible to ensure a good qualification. We made some changes to the bike in P2 and they were positive. On Saturday we will try to push further in this direction ».
And then immediately @ _moliveira88 slides out on his next lap! 💥
Fortunately it looks as though he's all OK! 👍#AmericasGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/a9dkknBgjj
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) April 14, 2023
Miguel Oliveira: “ my standards are certainly different from those of Aleix Espargaró »
The Portuguese ends by responding to a remark fromAleix Espargaro finding theAprilia too rigid for the layout ofAustin : “ he didn't ride the KTM... I mean, to put it into perspective, this bike doesn't behave badly on bumps. My standards are certainly different from his ».
For its part, Raul fernandez clarified, after reassuring him about the condition of his arm which alerted him in Argentina, and which was only due to a suit that was too tight: “ I think that it is one of the most complicated circuits for a MotoGP, but I'm happy to see that day by day I can understand the bike better. The problem is that now we have to push and improve more during this weekend, especially on the softs for attacks against the clock ».
He finishes : " It's a completely new bike and for me it's different. We are in the third round of the championship and we are trying to find the way forward. In general, I'm happy with the RS-GP, but I have a few things to work on to manage it better. At any rate, I'm having fun and I know what I have to do. It is essential ».
Results from P2 of the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
