Aprilia endured a difficult Friday at the Malaysian Grand Prix, less than a week on from its dominant victory in Australia.
In a topsy-turvy practice session that was affected by a brief shower and slippery condition, the fastest RS-GP finished 14th and more than seven tenths off the pace set by KTM’s Pedro Acosta.
While the changeable weather played a role in all four Aprilia bikes being relegated into Q1, the Noale-based marque wasn’t exactly having a smooth day before rain hit Sepang.
Factory rider Marco Bezzecchi sat fifth, more than three tenths behind then-leader Fermin Aldeguer, when the entire field was forced to head back to the pitlane with 15 minutes left on the clock.
In FP1, which took place on a bone-dry track, only one Aprilia finished inside the top 10, with Bezzecchi facing an even larger four-tenths deficit to the front.
Australian GP winner Raul Fernandez also made a low-key start to the weekend on the Trackhouse bike, ending up 19th in FP1 before improving to 16th in the afternoon.
The Spaniard struggled to extract performance out of the rear tyre at Sepang, an issue that also compromised him in 2024.
Unlike most of his rivals, Fernandez has limited experience of Sepang on current machinery, after an early testing crash on day one of pre-season running left him sidelined for rest of the test.
“I feel that we had almost the same problem as last year: We cannot use the rear tyre well, and it means that we cannot be really fast,” he explained. “Also, we have a lot of drop on the rear tyre [and] it doesn’t help for the race.
“One good thing is that all the Aprilias have almost the same problem.
“The difficult thing is it’s not an easy job for tomorrow for all the Aprilia boys. But anyway, I still believe that they can find a solution.
“Of course, it’s quite strange for me because the last three races I was quite competitive. I am not riding the bike like I want. So it means that we are also not really competitive.”
Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Bezzecchi’s struggles weren’t primarily down to the rear tyre, but to difficulty in managing throttle application and traction out of corners.
“It’s not been the best Friday, but we still have some issues to solve,” he explained. “We improved compared to the morning, but we made a smaller step compared to the other guys.
“Well, I was struggling a bit [with the rear tyre], but here at this track, it’s normal. I was struggling a bit more in other areas, a little bit the control of gas on traction. I struggled to find the best way to put all the power on the ground.
“This was the main one. Then all the rest is a bit of a consequence from this.”
The Sepang circuit is never easy on tyres, and the situation was made worse by rain that washed away much of the track’s grip.
“The [performance] drop was quite big today,” Bezzecchi explained. “But also the condition of the track was pretty strange compared to other times that we came here.
“I had quite a big drop. So we will have to manage the tyres a lot during the race. But I think that if we can make a step on riding, on the bike, trying to be more smooth and more precise, then the tyres also will have a better life.”
Ogura also pointed to low grip levels and poor power delivery as key reasons behind Aprilia’s difficult day at Sepang.
“I struggled to get the good acceleration in most of the corners, so it wasn’t easy,” he said.
“I think today the grip level was extremely low, and especially the edge of the tyre, we had some Aprilia guys struggling in that part.”
Tight Q1 shootout
Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Racing
Photo by: Shameem Fahath / Motorsport Network
With the likes of factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia and Gresini’s dark horse Fermin Aldeguer also in Q1, the Aprilia quartet – including test rider Lorenzo Savadori – face an uphill battle to get into the second part of qualifying.
“It’s always super difficult to go from Q1 to Q2,” said Bezzecchi. “It will be tough as always, but if we are able to make a good step, we can try to do it.”
Asked what potential Aprilia can have if it is able to make a step overnight, he replied: “I have no idea. Hopefully, much more than this.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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