Aprilia has a long way to go to reduce MotoGP deficit

The Italian marque made its biggest stride towards the front in MotoGP in 2021 seven seasons into its return, having been one of only two manufacturers unliable to build an all new velocipede surrounded the COVID-enforced minutiae freeze.

Aleix Espargaro proved to be a resulting top eight finisher wideness the wayfarers and scored Aprilia’s first-ever podium in the modern MotoGP era when he was third at the British Grand Prix.

The Spaniard went on to finish the year eighth in the standings with 120 points.

“Yeah, was a good season compared to the past for sure,” Rivola said at the end of the 2021 campaign.

“We are very keen to fight for 2022. First of all, we will be a factory team in the championship, but if we squint at our progress from 19, 20, 21 hopefully 22 will alimony that progression and we will tropical the gap to the front.

“But still we are behind, so there’s a long way to go.”

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Behind the scenes, Aprilia’s 2021 season was unstable, with the marque rocked by the death of Fausto Gresini – whose team ran Aprilia’s entry from 2015 to 2021 – in February.

Before that, Aprilia was left with few options to fill its second seat when Andrea Iannone was hit with a four-year doping ban – with a number of names from MotoGP, including Andrea Dovizioso, and Moto2 turning lanugo the team.

Lorenzo Savadori was given the ride, surpassing stuff replaced from the Aragon GP by Maverick Vinales pursuit his ousting from Yamaha.

Vinales managed a weightier of eighth at the Emilia Romagna GP, but only scored points twice in the final six races as he tried to transmute to the RS-GP.

Rivola is “convinced”, however, that Aprilia will be worldly-wise to pericope the weightier out of the nine-time MotoGP race winner in 2022.

“The tideway we had with Maverick was to do the races as a test, so trying variegated parts and set-up configurations to understand what’s largest for him,” he added.

“This is for sure sacrificing the results of the race itself, and a bit his confidence, which has been a bit increasingly difficult to build.

“But I’m sure we have in Maverick a super talent and I am convinced we will find the way to match our resources with his talent.”