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It was a memorable Friday the one experienced at Termas de Rio Hondo by Aprilia, which dominated the first day of practice for the Argentine GP. A superb performance that we discussed in our Sport Bar with Paolo Bonora, Race Manager of Aprilia Racing.
“It went very well. Already from Thursday the feelings were positive and there was the attitude of wanting to do well. Keep in mind it's only Friday. Saturday is another day, the others will come out and try to push harder, but it's a good start - the manager told us during our chat - The riders are very confident and the feelings are good. Now it's up to us to maintain this state of mind, so that they are always in the best condition. There are still two or three points on the track where we need to improve and the other competitors are very close. We still have some ideas."
The level of grip offered by Termas turned out to be not as bad as we thought on the eve, but teams like Yamaha, which already have problems with grip, are suffering even more. Why is the Aprilia going so fast?
“Between ourselves, it's not that there are any particular characteristics that make us do better here. For sure it's the fact that the track is very wide, so our drivers can choose the lines well and are not forced to follow a predefined line. When we found ourselves on wide tracks, which leave room for the riders to express themselves, we felt better. The track is not bad as regards the asphalt. It's cleaner than we thought – a good job by the organizers - It definitely doesn't have rubber, so the times will improve on Saturday if the weather stays constant. The question of why we are doing well here and not elsewhere is difficult for us too. There are tracks that are more congenial to the riders than to the bike. Without a doubt, we saw good stability from our bike in Turn 3, given the big bumps there. The riders complained little about that section, we were able to accelerate and express ourselves there and we gained speed. It's an important section also from a race perspective. Even looking at last year, apart from the last part of the championship where we suffered the most, the bike and the riders perform well on almost all the tracks. You just have to keep the package aligned and try to bring the riders to always express themselves to the maximum. That's the goal in every race."
Why didn't you replace Oliveira with Savadori in Argentina?
“To have a test rider race on a track that he had never seen was a gamble. It meant committing the team and the staff to also follow a path of adaptation for the rider, which in three days, during a race weekend, would have been very difficult. We preferred not to him to a track so far from Italy, like Argentina, which he had never seen before, to avoid putting him in difficulty and to concentrate as much as possible with the resources we have here, on the three riders we have. We look forward to Oliveira's return at Austin. We were very disappointed after Portimao, due to the fact that he wasn't able to express himself in the race. He had shown that he was up there and we are very sorry because in our opinion he too would have done very well. We wish him the best of luck so he can get back on track for Austin."
Is it more an opportunity or a problem to have a rider who goes so fast with last year's RS-GP?
"Good question. An opportunity, because already in Portimao the four riders looked at the data of each other. There were corners in which Vinales did better than others and others in which Oliveira or Espargarò did better. Fernandez is still in a learning phase and we are helping him, however there is certainly an opportunity for everyone when we have more data available, because we can compare one rider against another. We are certainly happy to have four, because we have more data available and we can help all four of them”.
After all, you were first and last.
"It’s OK. We even figured out why. Basically Raul has some lines to correct. He indicates that he is not yet 100% on the bike. It may also be that he is not using the best setting for him yet. Keep in mind that we started with the factory team setups brought to the RNF team and for such a young rider, who has to switch from one bike to another, it's not that easy. It is an adaptation process that we accept honestly and want to help him 100%. So much so that on Friday we suggested that he follow a factory team rider, to learn the lines. This is rule number 1 when you are far from someone who rides the same bike as you. It's something that Maverick and Aleix have willingly accepted, while sometimes there are those who don't like being followed, because it can be annoying. There is harmony between the two teams and absolute data sharing. So much so that walking in the back box you can switch from the factory team to the RNF team indifferently".
It is the first time that you have dominated the first two practice sessions of a GP, with two riders. Does it gas you or put pressure on you? How are you experiencing it?
"Yes, that's never happened to us. In all honesty, we prefer to keep our feet on the ground, because we know that others are good too. I would like to do it again at the end of the Sprint Race and the race and be so happy. In any case, it is a growth path that we are following step by step and we welcome this result, but it is still only Friday. There is a whole series of analyses to be done with the riders. We will try to stay there, but the race is always a different matter".
Of your opponents, who could put a spanner in the works?
“The Ducatis are always there and they will be the ones up at the front in the two races. Especially the Sprint, in which they have shown that they can push a lot. I will tell you that the Yamaha looks good. From the early laps it was clear that Morbidelli is in good shape. I think Ducati and Yamaha are looking good at the moment".
Even if Quartararo finished so far back on Friday?
“Seeing your teammate ahead of you means that the bike will also be able to make a jump to the other side of the garage. In my opinion, Quartararo will also be part of the battle”.
When will Aprilia also have an Italian rider? Are you keeping your eyes on Morbidelli?
“In the meantime, we are enjoying the riders we have now. We try to get results with them and never say never. For sure in the future, by expressing ourselves at our best, we too will become more attractive to other riders and who knows. Maybe, in the future, even an Italian rider”.
What do you think of what happened at Portimao, with the controversy linked to Marquez?
“Rivola expressed our point of view. The fact that the two races showed a certain aggressiveness right from the start got us thinking. There are 18 of us starting here and it was the first race. For sure these accidents didn’t do us any good. Some of them were dangerous. We lost Oliveira, which is the fact that made us feel worse, but let's not forget the two episodes, relating to Vinales with Alex Marquez and Binder with Aleix Espargarò, about which we asked the stewards to check. The answer was that, in the case of Alex Marquez, the loss of positions suffered by Maverick was related to the fact that he cut the gas due to Marini's crash in front of him, so they didn't consider Alex's really aggressive entry. While for the second episode, Binder climbed the curb in Turn 3 and stayed inside the track leaning on Espargarò. Unfortunately Aleix lost 5 positions and this conditioned his race. The pace was good, but losing 5 positions was a big pain for us. That too was judged to be a racing incident, but in identical cases, our riders were also sanctioned with a Long Lap in the past. In our opinion, Mir's entry on Quartararo was almost less punishable than the others I have mentioned. If we sanction someone who entered in a decisive but clean way and inadvertently lost control of the bike, then we don't understand where the line is between racing and going for a walk. We need to revise the concept of aggressive riding and behaviour that cause or don't cause accidents. It is not easy, but it is our intention to collaborate with the Race Direction and the Stewards”.
What role does aerodynamics play in these incidents?
“The aerodynamic part, especially at high speeds, now requires us to pay even more attention to the lines we decide to use, because any change of position under braking becomes more difficult than in the past. The aerodynamic part is the dominant factor at high speeds and the limit to which we have brought ourselves with the performance of the brakes is very high. The limit is no longer due to how much you can brake, but how much the tire can handle. They are always looking for the limit and the front lock can happen when you least expect it. At the moment the locking limit is completely managed by the rider and monitored by the technicians. We try to prevent it as much as possible, however the use of ABS in the racing sector should be developed. It would probably lengthen braking distances, but we don't preclude the fact that it could exist in the future, to increase safety on the track".
