MotoGP : The timing audit and aerodynamic approval
The post-race test programme at Jerez has laid out an exclusive starting point for Aprilia. Ai Ogura, Raul Fernandez and Marco Bezzecchi were the main focus of the lap-time checks. The overall gap between the three riders was just five thousandths of a second.
The Italian outfit’s engineering crew put a new aero package through its paces in running. Marco Bezzecchi was given the job of testing fresh side appendages. Technical chief Fabiano Sterlacchini described it as an early-stage validation run. The aim is simple enough: match the track data with the pre-run simulations from the wind tunnel. Short-term race plans? Not on the table.
MotoGP : Fixing the performance imbalance
Jorge Martin was handed the ergonomic and electronic tweaks. With no stopwatch pressure in a test session, there was room to make the changes. Aprilia’s internal performance review has pinpointed a specific structural weakness. The bike is struggling in two key areas: one-lap pace in qualifying and the shorter sprint format.
The technical staff have identified soft tyres and high-grip phases as the main stumbling blocks. Setup changes were pushed to their limits during this test. Right now, the bike is only showing its best side on the medium tyre, and even then only when the grip starts to fade in a long race.
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MotoGP : The technical integration outlook
Getting the bike into the right place on the grid is the maths that matters most if Aprilia wants a result at the end of it. That weakness is now the target of a focused development push.
For now, the new parts are staying on the shelf. The updates and settings trialled at Jerez are not scheduled to roll out for the next round in France. Aprilia will need a much bigger sample of data before signing anything off.
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