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Category: Moto GP
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APRILIA HARD AT WORK TO MAKE A STEP FORWARD IN THE RACE
In a Sprint Race that rewards the top nine riders with points, Maverick’s top-10 finish is meagre consolation. After starting well from the third row, the Aprilia rider had to reckon with the usual chaos on the first turns where some contact and some trajectory changes cost him ground with respect to the leaders. His race, characterised by consistency, is a good starting point for tomorrow where, with twice as many laps to ride, he could easily have the chance to exploit his pace.
As for Aleix, it’s safe to say that his performance today in Sepang suffered from the events of yesterday. Although extremely fast in Q1, the time he did was not enough to send him through to Q2, which he missed by just over a tenth of a second. His fifth-row start had him then maintaining a good pace, but still not enough to allow him to move up any farther than twelfth.
ALEIX
"The good thing is that I got back the "normal" sensations on the RS-GP with the change in settings. My time in Q1 (1'58.069) was the fastest yet for Aprilia in Sepang, but it wasn’t enough to go through to Q2. Starting a bit farther forward would certainly have helped, especially in the Sprint Race, but the fact is that I expected to be faster. We’ll have better chances tomorrow in the long race."
MAVERICK
"I can’t say that I’m disappointed, because I think the result today was the best possible. I had managed to start well, but then in the chaos on the opening corners I lost a few positions and I didn’t have the speed I needed in order to attack. We made a few steps forward on various fronts and we still have the warm-up session to try and find a few tenths. We’ll need to continue working to improve for future races as well."
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MAVERICK IMPROVES IN THE FINALE TO TAKE FIFTH
ALEIX CRASHES OUT AND WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH Q1
It was not a relaxing day in the Aprilia garage, with two particularly lively sessions contributing. On the first day at the Malaysian Sepang circuit, Maverick took advantage of almost every outing to find the right feeling. He finally found it in the afternoon session, where he did the fifth-best time, which sends him straight through to Q2.
Practice sessions were complicated for Aleix, on the other hand, victim of a crash this morning and three more in the afternoon, the last of which left him with some scratches. His lack of feeling with the front has already been analysed and understood by number 41’s crew, which gives Espargaró moderate confidence for tomorrow.
ALEIX
"I’ve definitely had better days, but I can’t say that I’m particularly worried. We are well aware of the problem, so tomorrow we’ll go back to a standard solution and I’m sure I’ll be able to be fast. It will be a demanding Saturday since I have to go through Q1, plus the last crash left me a bit scratched up and that won’t make life easy. We are riders and we know this can happen. The important thing is to know where to make changes."
MAVERICK
"A strange Friday on this track. We know that in the first session grip is usually poor and then it gradually improves, but today I did not have a better feeling in the afternoon. Anyway, in the last time attack with a new tyre, I felt better, so that’s a starting point for tomorrow. We made some comparisons between various systems to improve thermal comfort in the saddle and I must thank Aprilia for their quick response in spite of the little time available. Today the temperatures were not extreme, so it’s difficult to evaluate. We’ll analyse the data and understand more as early as the Sprint Race."
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One weekend off to recharge body and soul and it is already time for the last ride of the season with Malaysia, Qatar and the season finale at Valencia as the upcoming events for Team Gresini MotoGP.
The Faenza-based squad is living a positive moment as the last outings brought good results and points with both riders: Fabio Di Giannantonio more and more consistent with two parc fermé trips in the last three races (best-placed independent rider in Indonesia and third-placed overall in Australia), while Alex Marquez is finally back to full fitness and ready for the final charge for 2023.
The world championship top ten is currently 27 points away, meaning it is a difficult but not impossible challenge considering the 111 points still up for grabs between full and sprint races.
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#73 ALEX MARQUEZ (11th in the championship standings with 117 points)
“Australia and Thailand have been two very positive weekends considering the injury I suffered in India. In the preseason test at Sepang we made some adjustments to the setup that helped me: we know we are fast and despite knowing we still have some more fine-tuning to do, to be back at full fitness in Malaysia is already a big thing. The season must be wrapped up with a sweet taste in the mouth, so we’ll also need consistency in terms of results in Qatar and Valencia.”
#49 FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO (12th in the championship standings with 93 points)
“We’re surely have been on food form lately, both with regards to results and feeling with the bike. The growth has been consistent, and I see no reason why we should stop now. We still have three rounds left at venues I like, despite being very different from each other. We’ll keep our heads down to wrap up a positive season on a high note.”
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IN THE BATTLE FOR THE PODIUM, ESPARGARÓ IN THE MIX ALL THE WAY TO THE CHEQUERED FLAG
The final lap of the MotoGP Sprint Race thrilled the numerous and lively Thai fans with a battle fought all the way to the chequered flag between Aleix and Marc Marquez. The Aprilia riding Spaniard, after starting from the third spot on the grid, had built up a good gap ahead of his compatriot and was pushing to make a play for the third step of the podium, provisionally occupied by Marini. Unfortunately, the gap was reset when he went wide and, between passes and counter-passes, he wound up in fifth place. However, the feeling is there on a difficult track and the long race tomorrow (with a lot of strategy in play) will give Espargaró the chance to exploit all the hard work done during the practice sessions.
Saturday was not quite as happy for Maverick, who had been a protagonist until today here in Buriram. Both in qualifying and in the Sprint Race, the Aprilia rider was unable to find the good feeling from the other sessions. After starting from the third row, he had to reckon with the start height-device system failing to disengage, which relegated him to last place. In his attempt to recover, Viñales also exceeded track limits twice, forcing him to pay a long-lap penalty. The goal for tomorrow is to find those good sensations he had before and finish the weekend on a positive note.
ALEIX
"I’m proud of the work we are doing on this track. Remembering last year, when I arrived here I did not have any great expectations, but I must say that I am feeling good. In the final laps today, I wanted to try to battle with Marini for the podium, but I made a mistake that allowed Marc to catch up. It was an exciting final lap. I knew that he was going to have a go on the final turn and, even though I braked extremely hard, he managed to stay ahead of me. A lot more strategy will come into play in the race tomorrow, but with the harder compound at the rear I was fast so I’ll be trying for the podium again."
MAVERICK
"I am angry because in qualifying and in the Sprint Race, we were unable to maintain the level we had up until this morning. In the race, I went wide twice. The pace was lacking, and we need to find out what happened. Tomorrow, much will depend on the feeling I’m able to find."
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MAVERICK SECOND AND ALEIX THIRD ON THE FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE
STRAIGHT THROUGH TO Q2 AND GOOD SENSATIONS
There is a positive air in the Aprilia camp after the initial practice sessions on the Buriram circuit in Thailand. Maverick and Aleix were protagonists in both session, focusing their work on used tyres in preparation for tomorrow’s Sprint race and the GP on Sunday. The time attack in the afternoon then had them going easily straight through to Q2, with the second and third time respectively for Viñales and Espargaró.
With thirteen riders all within four tenths of one another, it promises to be a weekend where details, consistency, and precision will make the difference.
ALEIX
"I was surprised at our performance today, especially in some stages such as going into turns where we usually lose a few tenths. The track conditions are different than last year but we are also working a lot on the position in the saddle. The guys at Aprilia analyse the data and from their reports, it seems like that is an aspect we can work on to improve the RS-GP. I should point out that we are all extremely close, so we’ll need to be perfect to qualify well tomorrow."
MAVERICK
"On tracks like this one, being able to be precise is the secret to being fast. Today we managed and that is important. It means that we have learned from our experiences this season. As I always say, we need to build our performance day after day and always add another piece to the puzzle. It is only Friday, but I’ll do everything I can to stay out front tomorrow as well. We have a chance and we need to exploit it."
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