Aprilia boss expresses concerns: ‘I don’t think we’ll be ready to fight Ducati’
Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola has expressed concerns after seeing Ducati make another big step forward ahead of the 2024 MotoGP season.
Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales have both delivered standout performances at different times over the last two MotoGP seasons.
Espargaro has become a three-time grand prix winner as a result, while Vinales has threatened to do the same and become the only rider in history to win with three different manufacturers.
However, Ducati have still maintained an advantage over Aprilia and that appears to be the case again heading into the new season.
Ducati’s performance at the Sepang test was untouchable as Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin, Enea Bastianini - all riding the latest 2024-spec bike - and Alex Marquez on last season’s title-winning bike all clocked sub 1m 57s laps during their time attack simulations.
No rider from another brand could manage that, as Espargaro was fifth fastest with a low 1m 57s effort.
But race pace was also dominated by Ducati riders, which is why Rivola has his concerns.
Speaking to MotoGP.com, Rivola began by analysing Aprilia’s situation: “We have brought many parts. We need to find the best combination for each rider and that will be the most important thing because it’s the rider that goes out on track.
“We need to get the maximum feeling for them. You will see three RS-GP24 with three different aero configurations. But still, it’s a long way away from understanding this bike.”
But when asked about their prospects and whether they can be in the hunt, Rivola said: “To be realistic, the step that Ducati did is a further one and is really impressive.
“Everyone is going really fast but the good thing is the show should be super nice to watch on tv and on-track. But I don’t think we will be ready to fight with Ducati.”
