Aprilia, Consider Team Orders: “We’ll Have to Draw a Line”

Four Aprilias at the front of a MotoGP Grand Prix had never been seen before Mandalika. However, the Indonesian one-two-three-four immediately raises a delicate issue for the Noale-based manufacturer: when to stop allowing the riders to race freely and start working for Jorge Martin in the title fight. Fabiano Sterlacchini, the technical director who leads the group of engineers behind the RS-GP, provides the answer.

Speaking to Sky, the engineer from the Marche region made no secret of his satisfaction at a result that had been a long time coming, arriving after a complicated Saturday: "Our first MotoGP one-two-three-four, and I cared about it particularly. Yesterday the situation had become complicated; we worked with Massimo to restore the balance, and today everything went smoothly."

The most significant statement concerns the future. Sterlacchini explained that there are no directives for now, but that the window of freedom is destined to close soon, also to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past:

the technical director added that Aprilia has already started discussing how to manage the riders' roles: "As Massimo (Rivola, Aprilia Racing director, ed.) stated, our riders are completely free at the moment. Clearly, we are beginning to talk among ourselves about starting to issue some directives to avoid problems." The reference is also to the Sprint incident, which according to Sterlacchini "is part of the game, even if you try to clarify the roles, the possibilities and the risks; sometimes something can happen."

There is no precise deadline: "We have not set a deadline, but within the next few races the time may come to discuss things with Massimo and define a team strategy without any 'ifs' or 'buts'." Ducati expects it as well: team manager Davide Tardozzi acknowledged that "Aprilia has proved to be decidedly superior, especially here."

The one-two-three-four did not include Martin on the top step. Sterlacchini justified it as follows: "At the first corner, after the start, Jorge had a gap to make up. I am not inside his head, but I think he tried to get the most out of it while taking as few risks as possible." Putting all the RS-GPs ahead of Marquez, he added, nevertheless guaranteed "a certain margin in terms of points."

Looking at the rest of the calendar, the circuits causing the most concern in Noale are Sepang and Qatar, where Martin did not race last year. On the other tracks, according to the technical director, Aprilia feels more competitive. As for the challenge against his former team Ducati, Sterlacchini kept it brief: "It is not extra motivation; for me, the important thing is winning."

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