Disappointment for Aprilia with Viñales 9th in #JapaneseGP Sprint, DNF for Espargaro

It was not a Saturday to remember for the Aprilia camp. Although the third row on the starting grid could be considered respectable, the 12-lap Sprint Race did not bring the results that were hoped for. Maverick struggled with an annoying vibration at the rear of his RS-GP which kept him from doing any better than ninth place.

Aleix, on the other hand, had to retire during the eighth lap just as he was battling with Bezzecchi, Marquez, and Zarco for fifth. A disappointment that the Spanish rider hopes to forget quickly. In fact, the Aprilia riders have the full-distance race ahead of them tomorrow.

MAVERICK

Obviously, I can’t be satisfied. In this Sprint Race, as has happened recently, I struggled particularly with the chattering at the rear that kept me from pushing. Tomorrow we need to make up for it. I feel a bit better on the medium tyre, but above all, we need to understand what is triggering this problem that limits us tremendously.

ALEIX

This Sprint Race didn’t go as expected either. To be honest, my pace wasn’t bad and we could have aimed for a decent result. Unfortunately, it was all in vain due to a technical problem. I’m also disappointed because the Sprint Race is important in view of the race tomorrow. Data can be collected to understand bike and tyre performance.