The race weekend in Japan proved to be another nightmare for Massimo Rivola's Aprilia team. While Maverick Viñales, who had brilliantly secured a front row spot in qualifying, retired from the race after a crash on lap 12, Aleix Espargaró had to settle for ninth, finishing 30 seconds behind winner Pecco Bagnaia. The poor performance highlights the Italian manufacturer's recent struggles in MotoGP, as the team struggles to regain its competitiveness.
The CEO of Aprilia Racing, Massimo rivola, expressed his frustration and disappointment with his team's results in Motegi. We know we are capable of good performances, but we have not been able to confirm them lately " he told Sky Sport MotoGP. Rivola also insisted thatAprilia is working tirelessly to understand the reasons for this decline: " we pass from morning to night trying to understand why we cannot confirm our performance of previous years »
This drop in form comes at a crucial time for Aprilia, which is already preparing for the future with the arrival of the new technical director, Fabiano Sterlacchini, planned for 2025, and promising drivers such as George Martin et Marco Bezzecchi. However, Rivola stressed the importance of ending the current season on a positive note and avoiding focusing only on the future.
Massimo Rivola: “ maybe our bike is more sensitive to micrometric changes than we think »
The disappointment was particularly great after the abandonment of Maverick Vinales, who had shown excellent pace throughout the weekend. When I saw Maverick's lap in qualifying, and also his pace in practice on Friday with a time of 1'44'9, he had the potential to get on the podium ", highlighted Rivola. However, the fall of Casa Particular in Viñales in the 12th round dashed those hopes, and Aprilia has once again been left behind.
Rivola also noted that the RS-GP seemed particularly sensitive to variations in grip: “ we clearly lacked grip, and maybe our bike is more sensitive to micrometric changes than we think. » Despite these difficulties, the CEO insisted that motivation remained intact within the team: " we have great motivation with all the important changes to come, both at the technical and organizational level »
While waiting for next season, Rivola and his team are now focusing on the next Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, hoping to get immediate answers and improvements. With talented drivers and new strategies in place, Aprilia hopes to quickly get back on track to return to the level which, according to Rivola, is theirs by right. We must return to the level we deserve as quickly as possible. » ends the boss on Motoracing.
MotoGP, Japan J3: ranking
