Battling for the top
Can Aprilia beat Ducati? What will Diggia do? And is this Augusto’s last big chance?
High expectations heading into the season were the downfall for Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia in 2023. Much was expected following the breakthrough 2022, and Espargaro did enjoy two GP wins and a Sprint success. Aprilia also celebrated a one-two for the first-time at Barcelona.
And yet there was disappointment when they considered what could have been. Now is the time to forget all that and move on to something bigger with the RS-GP.
Espargaro is certainly going about it the right way. The veteran, who may or may not be entering his final season, was best of the rest behind the leading Ducati riders during pre-season. Third at the Qatar test was a good sign for round one, and he was fifth at Sepang.
A race simulation cut short by a crash after eight laps in Qatar was particularly impressive given that he was several tenths faster than Bagnaia over the same distance. Espargaro was happy on the medium tyre as he dipped into the 1:51s.
It was a different story on the one-lap time attacks and that is a concern for a rider onboard an RS-GP, which often struggled at the start of races in 2023. The last thing he needs is to be giving two or three rows away.
“They’re not on another level but they are one step more competitive than us,” Espargaro said after the Qatar test. “If we want to fight with them on a time attack, we need a little bit more power!
“We can be closer on race day, but you need to have a good qualifying and we’re missing something. We cannot really use extra grip. We need to improve with the soft tyre.”
Aprilia are throwing everything at MotoGP. Their aerodynamic developments are nothing short of astonishing. The Ducati is often seen as a spaceship, but the RS-GP isn’t lacking in innovation.
Bike stability is said to have improved vastly this year, and while Espargaro has been quoted as saying it’s the most difficult bike he’s ridden, it’s also the most competitive.
Judging by what we’ve seen so far, it appears he will be able to challenge the top three from the get-go, perhaps being a weekly foe of Brad Binder and KTM. Whether he and Aprilia can do it consistently is a different matter altogether.
Reliability will need to improve if they’re to stand a chance of challenging for the title. It’s a big year for all involved. Espargaro will want to decide if he wants to continue to race in 2025 sooner rather than later, while Aprilia will want to do enough to attract the likes of Quartararo if Espargaro decides to quit.