Following the rapid presentation of the Aprilia RS-GP 21 during which Romano Albesiano, the technical director of Aprilia Racing, revealed the main points of the new features of the MotoGP of Noale, a videoconference was held which allowed us to know a little more technically.
The Italian manufacturer, the only one to still benefit from the concessions allowing it to develop its motorcycle in all areas, has done a lot of work on many points this winter, including on the engine, which all the others (apart from KTM ) were banned due to a financial freeze linked to the health crisis.
The technical managers at Noale were therefore confident, particularly at the aerodynamic level, but not only.
Roman Albesian : " From a rational standpoint, I think this could be the year we can catch the others. It’s a goal, a real goal for this season. Closing the gap is always a mix of everything. Last year I think the Suzuki was maybe not the best in every area, but a very good balanced bike.
I think from an aerodynamic point of view we have taken a big step forward. I think we are at a very high level, maybe one of the best on the grid »
« On the chassis side, the Aprilia has a very positive historical past. On the electronics side, we've taken a good step forward, but we know we still have room for improvement and we're working on it now with people to continue doing this work.
I think right now the engine is the weak point. The engine guys did a superb job because in just a year and a half we went from a 70 degree V to a 90 degree V.
This year we changed the cylinder heads. So we are changing a lot of things. We will need a little more time to develop the engine and to test it further on the bench.
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« We tested a prototype of the new bike late last year in Jerez, and then again in Jerez a few weeks ago, and both tests were very positive. I think the positive point is the handling, the ease of riding, the dynamic behavior of the bike which was already quite good last year, and it seems that it has improved a lot this year. The compromise between motorcycle dynamics and aerodynamics, engine, handling and torque also seems to have taken a big step forward, as we did in 2019-2020. »
« So I think we shouldn't have any real weak point. But to be completely honest, I would be fully satisfied with some improvement in peak power, which is a goal we will hopefully achieve this season. »
« The aerodynamics of last year's bike were designed to have a second version, but this was made impossible by the rules due to the pandemic. So we raced all of last season with a low downforce setup that we assumed would only be used for a few races. This year we had the opportunity to adjust this configuration, which for me is one of the most important.
According to the rules, we can use the 2020 aerodynamic configuration, plus one other configuration. But we took a big step from 2020 to 2021, so we will only have one option for 2021.
The weight has been reduced. This is the first time that we are clearly below the minimum weight, and therefore we can play with ballast and additional devices without increasing the weight too much.
The engine has new cylinder heads, with a more modern concept. The rear swingarm is made of carbon, we have further reduced the weight and moved towards a better stiffness characteristic. And the saddle is important because it affects the vibration behavior of the motorcycle. We've probably understood some basic concepts related to saddle stiffness that will help us avoid this kind of problem in the future. »
« All this means that in theory this bike is better than last year's, and so the gap should be even smaller. We hope this means the gap is zero! But we won't know until we get on the track. »
The dark last year, Aleix Espargaró scored 42 points, Bradley Smith 12 and Lorenzo Savadori 0, unable to prevent Aprilia from appearing in last place in the manufacturers' and teams' rankings. We sincerely hope that all these modifications allow the RS-GP 21 to come and fight further in the pack…
