VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio believes a shift in temperature and track conditions played a key role in swinging the balance in Aprilia’s favour during the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Ducati headed into Sunday’s race at Goiania as the favourite for victory after Marc Marquez led di Giannantonio in a 1-2 for the Borgo Panigale marque in the sprint.
However, the Desmosedicis were never truly in contention for the top spot, with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi storming into the lead at the start and controlling the race from there on.
While Aprilia had also dominated the season opener in Thailand three weeks ago, it remained unclear who would have the upper hand at Goiania, a track that last featured on the grand prix calendar in 1989.
Polesitter di Giannantonio, who eventually finished the race 3.8s behind Bezzecchi in third, said the higher track temperature and reduced grip levels played directly into the strengths of the RS-GP.
“Once the condition gets hot and a little slippery with the grip level going low, Aprilia can continue to push with the front and enter into the corners with a lot of speed,” he said.
“I tried to make it but we are much more in trouble; our front is much less stable and precise on that.
“Once they make this kind of entry, they are better positioned on the exit, so they maximise the exit too. We have to work a lot on the exit side. We have a really great package for the exit of the corners as we can always see. I can manage the tyres and recover a lot of time and places at the end, but it’s not enough to be with them when the condition is a little tough for the grip.
“I think we should improve to have a better bike on the front.”
Bezzecchi’s turnaround
Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Bezzecchi started the weekend on a poor note, as he struggled to 20th in practice with an inexplicable issue. But after progressing through Q2 alongside di Giannantonio on Saturday, he was able to qualify his Aprilia on the front row of the grid.
The sprint turned out to be more challenging for the Italian as he dropped to fourth place behind team-mate Jorge Martin, but he made most of the overnight changes to clinch his fourth grand prix victory in succession.
“On my side, I tried to improve day by day,” he said. “Of course, on Friday, I was in a very bad situation, but on Saturday, we made a step. Even if my rhythm was not good enough to fight for the podium in the sprint, I tried to take a look at them. They were in front of me, they were riding a bit better than me, and I was maybe forcing a bit too much.
“I tried to work with the team to improve the bike and to make everything a bit more smoothly. Then I felt better on Sunday morning and I said, ‘Okay I will give my all to try to make the best race that I can’.”
Martin: Ducati and Aprilia are “similar”
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group
While Bezzecchi led from front in the grand prix, Martin’s race offered better insights into Aprilia’s strength in traffic.
The Spaniard initially dropped to fifth in the race, but after repassing Pedro Acosta’s KTM, he quickly reeled in di Giannantonio and Marquez.
When the two Ducati riders ran wide while battling for position at Turn 4, Martin pounced on the opportunity and overtook both of them in one go.
The 2024 world champion believes the two bikes remain closely matched, but echoed di Giannantonio’s view that conditions on Sunday tipped the balance in Aprilia’s favour.
“For me, it’s similar,” he said about Ducati and Aprilia’s pace.
“It’s different because I started the weekend really well. Straightaway, I had good confidence, I felt good with a new track and everything went easy like going into Q2. Then I was fast in qualifying.
“The sprint was good but for sure Ducatis were stronger than us. On Sunday, I think we improved the level a little bit and they struggled a bit more, so that’s why you know it was the opposite.
“But overall, we are really similar in terms of pace. One day, one of the factors will be better, and then another day, another one.
“The important thing is that we are really focused to work on the details. I try to work on that because it’s the key to improving and to make everything easier.”
We want to hear from you!
Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.
Take our survey
– The Autosport.com Team
Read the full article here