Iannone: 'knew Aprilia adventure would need time'

A MotoGP race winner at Ducati and four-time podium finisher for Suzuki, Andrea Iannone insists he and Aprilia remain 'fully dedicated' after 14-17 finishes in the opening races of 2019.

"We knew from the beginning of this adventure that we would need time, but our objectives are clear, and we are fully dedicated," Iannone said ahead of this weekend's third round in Austin.

The Italian, who qualified 22nd and last on the grid in Termas de Rio Hondo, added: "The results in Argentina do not reflect our true position. We know that and we need to improve.

"We will be looking for confirmation in Austin. It will be my first time tackling this track with Aprilia, so it’s hard to make predictions."

Team-mate Aleix Espargaro, starting his third season with Aprilia, has been the top RS-GP rider so far with 10-9 results.

The Spaniard is determined to stay in the top ten this weekend, in order to lay a solid foundation for the start of the European season, before which a day of private post-race Aprilia testing will be held at COTA.

"My goal is to arrive in Jerez still in the top ten of the championship standings, with a nice bounty of points and placements. To do this, we must always get the most out of our technical package, as we did in the first two races," Espargaro said.

"Here at the COTA I had a nice comeback ride last year [19th to 10th]. It is not the easiest track for us, but I hope to work well during the weekend and on the day of testing."