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Fabio Quartararo's renewal with two more years with Yamaha has taken a prized piece off the market, especially for Aprilia. The Frenchman, besides the blue brand, did not have many other choices available: there was far too much competition to head towards the red of Ducati (with Bagnaia reconfirmed and Martin, Bastianini and Marquez fighting for the last place in the official team) and the orange of KTM is already booked by Acosta. Leaving the Honda option behind (the classic move from the frying pan to the fire), only the black of Aprilia remained.
The Noale manufacturer needs a rider of some depth. Without taking anything away from Aleix Espargarò (the only one who has managed to win on the RS-GP in the long race), 35 years of age, which he will reach in a few months, do not allow him to be a rider on which to build a future. Maverick Vinales, on the other hand, only woke up in Portimao and - as we wait to find out if it was just a flash in the pan - so far has promised a lot and delivered little. The newcomers, in theory, would be in Trackhouse, but Miguel Oliveira has not yet shown on the Aprilia the potential that was seen when he was at KTM (partly because of the many injuries last year), nor can it be said that Raul Fernandez is particularly standing out, despite this being his third season in MotoGP.
While KTM first, and Ducati and Yamaha later, have ring-fenced their prize possessions (Binder, Bagnaia, and Quartararo in that order), Aprilia must try to poach the rider it needs from the competition. That means going on the attack, something it has not done in recent years, as it seems that it has suffered the results of the market instead of deciding it. As in the case of Vinales, a 'gift' that fell from the sky.
Quartararo, for Noale, would have been a great acquisition: a young, fast rider, a world champion and a guy the public likes. Unfortunately, he is no longer available, and it matters little if it happened because Yamaha's offer was economically better; money in racing matters, and not just today.
Massimo Rivola, however, right now needs to figure out who he needs. The only Top Rider available would be Marc Marquez, but against Ducati it is difficult to win even in the market, unless you have a bulging wallet, which does not seem to be the case for Aprlia.
However, there are other names on the table and at the top of the list is Bastianini. Enea's priority is to remain in the official Borgo Panigale team, but he also knows that it is not going to be easy, with Martin currently leading the World Championship and Marquez who is covteted regardless. Unless he wants to return to a satellite outfit, Aprilia would be a good option for him, and vice versa.
It was Rivola himself who admitted in one of our interviews that he could do with an Italian rider, even mentioning the name of the Rimini native. After all, the first contacts were already there three years ago, but they had ended in a deadlock. Now both Aprilia and Bastianini have a second chance and are aware of it, in fact, negotiations have already begun.
To say that they will come to a conclusion, however, is still early. Aprilia and Enea seem to need each other, but courage is needed on both sides to succeed in the marriage.
