Just like Suzuki and KTM, Aprilia benefits from dealership advantages and, in particular, can continue to develop its engine throughout the season.
This allowed the Noale firm to start work on a brand new engine which the drivers will only have a very short time before the first Grand Prix of the season: there will always be time to refine it afterwards, or to go back, which neither Honda, Yamaha nor Ducati can do.
The former booster experienced numerous problems during last season, starting with those which penalized Alex Espargaro at Le Mans, Mugello, Barcelona and Silverstone. Even if the causes were found and resolved, it was more promising to start again on new bases...
While waiting for this icing on the cake, the latest version of Roman Albesian is brand new and fully satisfied Alex Espargaro, even if the adaptation is a little more difficult for Scott Redding. Even if the team manager declared that there was no common part with the old one, the most visible difference consists of the fuel cap, passed from behind the airbox to the seat of the saddle.
Alex Espargaro : “I like the 2018 bike. We are waiting for the new engine and I think it will arrive for the tests in Qatar, or at the Qatar Grand Prix. But I really like the condition and chassis of the new bike because it suits my riding style better. I can be more aggressive with the front brake, and that's always fantastic because I like to brake hard. What I asked the engineers was to change my position on the bike a little and make a chassis to turn a little better when releasing the brakes. Keep the position lower in the middle of the turn. And they really did a good job because the new bike is exactly what I expected. My position is better and I feel like I can drive more aggressively. »
Asked about the next tests which will take place from Friday in Thailand, the Catalan confides: “The track seemed a bit strange to me, with a lot of straights, but I'm confident we'll have a good test. For us, it is above all fundamental to run the new RS-GP on a different circuit, in order to have as much information as possible and to continue to improve it before the start of the season. »
Scott Redding : “There’s a bit more mid-range power. The position for a tall rider is better and the changes of direction have also improved, so we have quite a few improvements. »
Roman Albesian : " The bike seems more consistent when braking, more stable, safer. For Aleix, the feeling was immediately better with the new bike, compared to the old one. We're making progress and I'm certainly happy with that. We really have confidence in the future. »
