Rivola apologizes to Martin after Aprilia's four-win haul: “A serious error with the pressure”

Four Aprilias occupied the top four places at the Indonesian Grand Prix: Noale had achieved something never before seen in MotoGP. Yet Massimo Rivola makes no attempt to hide the fact that, in hindsight, the Mandalika weekend could have proved costly in the title race.

The reason was a “serious error” in managing Jorge Martin’s front tyre pressure, for which the team manager apologized to the rider. Paddock-GP reports the incident, highlighting the paradox of Aprilia’s season: a bike capable of dominating Ducati, but a team execution that can still jeopardize the World Championship.

The weekend got off to the best possible start, with Raul Fernandez taking pole position ahead of Marco Bezzecchi. On paper, Aprilia had everything it needed to control the Sprint, but the two riders made contact at the first corner, dashing their respective hopes.

Meanwhile, Martin, struggling with the front tyre pressure issue, had to give up a comfortable advantage over Marc Marquez. A subsequent mistake then dropped him to fourth place. Marquez won the Sprint and took the championship lead for the first time this season.

On Sunday, the head of Aprilia Racing did not try to downplay the team’s responsibility: “Once again, Aprilia stands for great spectacle, for better or worse.” Then came the harshest admission, directed at Martin: “The Sprint was ruined by a mistake at the first corner and a serious error with Jorge’s front tyre pressure, for which we owe him an apology.”

Rivola is not simply lamenting a result: he acknowledges a flaw in the preparation or management of the race, without publicly explaining exactly how it happened. And in a championship where Martin and Marquez are separated by just two points, a technical error can matter as much as a crash.

The response came on Sunday. Bezzecchi returned to winning ways ahead of Fernandez, who raced despite not being in the best physical condition, with Martin completing the podium and Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura finishing fourth. For the first time, four RS-GPs finished a Grand Prix in the top four, while Marquez came home sixth and Martin reclaimed the championship lead.

But the message for Noale is clear: the bike is there, yet in the final showdown with Marquez, the most serious threat could come from within the team garage. After the contact between Fernandez and Bezzecchi, the question of team orders is already on the table at Aprilia.

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