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Davide Brivio is back home. Dressed in the colours of the Trackhouse team in the Losail paddock, he greeted the many old friends he had left 3 years ago, when he accepted the offer of Alpine to work in Formula 1. Two wheels, however, had always remained in his heart and when Justin Marks called him to manage his new team in MotoGP, Brivio didn't think twice before saying yes.
Davide, what was the feeling like of returning to this paddock?
“I had a wonderful welcome from everyone, anyone I meet welcomes me back, it's something that pleases me on a personal level.”
Did you know in your heart that you would one day return to work in this paddock?
“I didn't leave MotoGP because I was tired or I didn't like it anymore, on the contrary I was enjoying it a lot. There was this call in Formula 1 and I was curious to see and understand how a team in that championship worked. I've always liked looking around, I also mean rallies, motocross, the NBA, NASCAR. Obviously F1 has always been a source of inspiration, a point of reference, so it really stimulated me to be part of it. It was a great opportunity for which I thank Alpine, but I have always continued to follow MotoGP."
What convinced you to accept this new adventure with Trackhouse?
“I also left Alpine to see if any opportunities would arise during the year, I didn't expect this one to come so soon”.
Didn't the fact that the call came from a satellite team give you any doubts?
“Maybe the desire to return won me over, there was an opportunity and I took it. Trackhouse had it easy because I have always been fascinated by the American world and sports, I have always followed Supercross and the NBA. Other than that, it's an independent team but it seems like a good project to me. I have a direct relationship with Justin (Marks, the team owner, ed.), there is a willingness to try new ideas and I like this mentality."
The American mentality is very different from the European one, is it up to you to find a meeting point?
“Trackhouse is a team that races in the NASCAR championship, it is a company that lives on racing, they have a great knowledge of the racing world but not of MotoGP. What we're trying to do is tell them what it's like, they want to know it."
Is working in a satellite team different from what you are used to?
“I am not a technician and as regards my role as manager of human, financial and logistical resources, being in an official team or being in a satellite team is exactly the same thing. I don't see a big difference between Trackhouse and an official team of those who are now on the grid in track management, if you take away the technical aspect. Trying to secure the best people, the riders, improving marketing and communication: the work is always the same."
Have you set yourself any goals?
“Personally I don't have a numerical goal, such as arriving in the top 10 or winning a race, but that of starting and continuing a growth process to become one of the best MotoGP teams. The results on the track are a consequence. Right now it is the process that must take us somewhere, not the thought of a result."
Aprilia also seems to count a lot on Trackhouse, Oliveira already has the official bike and during the course of the season one will also arrive for Fernandez.
“One thing that must be appreciated and underlined is that Trackhouse, even before starting, had asked Aprilia for the 2024 bikes, Raul will have it later just for a matter of timing. On a financial level it was an extra effort, but it never doubted that it wanted to do it and it is the most important sign of its desire to do well. I believe that Aprilia is a great partner at the moment: the bike is growing a lot, there is a lot of development work going on and from an aerodynamic point of view it is a source of inspiration... for others too (smiles)".
In MotoGP you have always worked with the Japanese, Yamaha first and Suzuki after, what is it like doing it with the Italians?
“It sounds crazy, but it's my first time racing with an Italian company. But first of all I work with Americans, so from Japan I moved to the USA…. I always stay abroad (laughs)”.
You haven't been away from MotoGP for long, did you find it changed upon your return?
“Not so much from the point of view of people or mentality, but from a technological point of view because motorbikes have evolved a lot. I wouldn't say it's changed much and maybe it's time to do something."
As Formula 1 has done in its recent past. Is this the example to follow?
“We should always and constantly aim for improvement. Looking at F1 is fine, it can be a source of inspiration for some things, but you shouldn't copy and paste, that doesn't work. You have to come up with ideas and to do this you don't have to limit yourself to F1, but to football, golf, tennis, many different sports. In the modern era, sport - whether we like it or not - is driven by business. We enthusiasts like to talk about riders and performances, but we must be aware - and not be scandalized - that all this must be sustainable, therefore there must be companies willing to invest, spectators who come to the races, interested TV channels. We need all this to continue doing our sport and we must try to encourage it as much as possible."
Do you have any solutions?
“I don't have a particular idea, but I believe that now it is very important to bring the public closer and closer. You have to be the one to meet the public and not wait for it to arrive, for example you can organize fan zones, have greater general openness. We must always think that the public is heterogeneous, there is not only the geek who knows every detail, but also his friend who has come to keep him company and doesn't even know what number Bagnaia has. One of the thousand things to do is to organize activities that entertain spectators. A football match isn't just about 90 minutes of play, there are lounges, various activities before and after, in F1 they have concerts on Saturday evenings, the NBA is a family party with clubs and restaurants."
Isn't the show on the track enough anymore?
“Each sport has its own characteristics, we need to understand how to make it interesting even outside, in our case, the 45 minutes of the race and the 25 minutes of the Sprint. It can be a football or basketball match, an F1 or MotoGP race, the sporting gesture has become a pretext to bring people together and once you manage to do it, you have to offer them as much as possible. This is not easy, you have to be creative. It seems to me that even in MotoGP they are trying."
