MotoGP, Massimo Rivola, Aprilia: “I made a big mess in my first motorcycle Grand Prix”

The plaintiffs presented their arguments and defense of theirs. The FIM Court of Appeal must now rule on this claim against Ducati from four of the manufacturers involved in MotoGP. Which are Honda, KTM, Suzuki and Aprilia. Everyone is at least in unison on one thing: that Dovizioso keeps his victory in Qatar. For the rest… Gigi Dall'Igna, the Ducati man points the finger at Honda in this sling. But it is Aprilia that expresses itself the most about it. She would almost claim paternity with her new president and CEO of the competition, Massimo Rivola. Who comes from Formula 1…

The latter is this weekend at Mugello for the big party organized by the manufacturer for its fans and future customers. He made a sensational entrance into the MotoGP paddock, coming from Formula 1 where technical controversies are part of the culture. He is the first to recognize it. But he also explains the reason for this charge not only against Ducati, but also on the way technical verifications are carried out in the category...

Public chat GP One, he declares : " I made quite a mess in my first motorcycle Grand Prix… The atmosphere during the hearing before the FIM was what I expected. Let's say we didn't have a drink together at the bar... More seriously, I think we managed to show that the deflector created an aerodynamic load ».

Rivola also expresses his idea of ​​the ideal verdict: “ don't change the outcome of the race in Qatar, take Dovizioso's victory for granted. I don't expect big changes anytime soon, but leave it to everyone to understand that clarifications are needed at the regulatory level ". A slippery slope thus addressed by the former Scuderia Ferrari: “ It is not possible for a technical director to validate a part by sitting in the box for ten minutes. Without data, especially for elements with obvious aerodynamic impact. I would like to avoid an escalation of inventions, even if it is pleasant to seek the limits of the regulation. But I wanted to sound the alarm, I hope that was understood correctly ».

Massimo rivola insists, at the risk of offending… “ Many will see me as a nuisance. As soon as I arrived, I saw what was not working. I spoke to Ezpeleta first, then to Dall'Igna. They were warned that I would make a complaint. A lot of money is spent in MotoGP and the federation must be able to control everything. I don't think it's acceptable that this isn't the case. In this sense, we must raise the level of professionalism ».

The same Rivola also explains why this subject is close to Aprilia’s heart… “ We felt more involved than the others. Because we wanted to develop something in this area and we were told no, except in wet conditions like Yamaha the year before. We were surprised to see Ducati with this deflector ».

The manager also highlights his experience by warning of the risk of seeing Pandora's box opening: “ my experience in Formula 1 tells me that aerodynamics is a minefield. To find certain performances, you have to spend a lot and do a lot of testing. As the main rules were established with the aim of reducing costs and only two sets of fairings are allowed, the search for performance in the few parts left free has a different meaning. Then, checking the regularity or not becomes very difficult ».

He finishes : " it is necessary to limit aerodynamics and this is the wish of at least 4 of the 6 manufacturers participating in MotoGP. In Formula 1, I learned that development in this area costs a fortune for small benefits. However, even a small difference can win you a race and you only have to remember the tiny gap at the finish line in Qatar to understand the importance of the subject. If you don't reduce costs, they will inevitably increase and I don't deny that Aprilia, which is the team with the smallest budget, would be particularly penalized. My job is also to highlight some critical issues and it is better that this issue appeared in the first race than later in the season ».