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Category: Moto GP
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VICTORY MISSED BY JUST THREE TENTHS AFTER A BRILLIANT RACE
THE GAMBLE ON THE "SOFT" DOESN’T PAY OFF FOR ALEIX, STILL IN THE POINTS
He believed, he tried, and he missed by just three tenths of a second after an extraordinary race. This sums up Maverick’s second place in Indonesia, a well-deserved podium after battling with both Martin (who then crashed) and Bagnaia. And, in the finale, contending with Quartararo’s aggressive attacks.
After a good start, Viñales settled in behind Martin, moving into the race lead during the twelfth lap. The narrow gap allowed Bagnaia to catch up and Maverick yielded the top spot to him during the nineteenth lap. When everything seemed to be set in stone, the Aprilia rider came back strong, even making a play for the win (which he missed by just three tenths of a second) under the chequered flag.
Aleix’s gamble choosing the soft rear tyre did not pay off. The compound he was most confident with did not allow him to be incisive after mid-race, after which the goal was simply to make it to the chequered flag without any pointless mistakes. The six points awarded for his tenth place are – in light of the pace demonstrated throughout the weekend – small consolation.
ALEIX
"Choosing the soft tyre for the rear was undoubtedly a mistake. Unfortunately, during the warm-up session this morning, I did not have a good feeling with the medium, and we decided to take the risk on the starting grid. I expected a drop in performance, but not so soon. Basically, after ten laps, it turned into a race of survival. It’s a pity because being competitive, being able to make a play for the podium in this MotoGP is anything but simple, so squandering chances like this leaves a bitter taste in your mouth."
MAVERICK
"Today I took advantage of yesterday’s experience. When Martin began to lap fast, I was patient, looking after the tyre. I knew that if I pushed too hard at the beginning, it would create difficulties in the finale. From this point of view, it was not a simple race. When there were just a few laps left, I decided to go all in. I wanted to put the pressure on Pecco and make a play for the win. In any case, it is still a good result and it confirms that when we exploit our technical package well, we can battle with the best."
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AFTER OUTSTANDING QUALIFIERS, MAVERICK FINISHES FOURTH IN MANDALIKA
CRASH AND DNF FOR ALEIX
All the elements were there for an Aprilia-coloured Sprint Race. Aleix and Maverick were fast in all the sessions, all the way to brilliant qualifiers where they took the second (Viñales) and third (Espargaró) spots on the starting grid. The thirteen laps today, however, left a bitter taste for the Italian team, fourth in the end with Maverick who had a bold start ahead of the rest, leading the race with confidence in the early stages and then limited by tyre wear. The podium that was just barely missed today is the minimum goal for the race.
Aleix had to make up ground after a less than perfect start – a mission which was anything but impossible, given the pace he had demonstrated up to that point. Just as he was overtaking, the Aprilia rider lost the front end of his RS-GP, involving a blameless Binder in a crash. He apologised straight away to his rival for the mistake and Aleix is now extra motivated to seek redemption tomorrow.
ALEIX
"First of all, I want to apologise to Brad. I did not intend for my move to be an aggressive one, but on this track, leaving your line by even just a few centimetres can be lethal. I’m sorry to have compromised his Sprint Race as much as I did my own. Unfortunately, I had to make up for lost ground after a less than optimum start. I had the pace and the confidence to do it, and that is important. I would have been able to continue, but given the gap, it would have been impossible to finish in the points, so I went back to the garage."
MAVERICK
"In other cases, I’d be happy with a fourth place, but I can’t be today because we had the potential to win. I started well and I was in complete control, without pushing to the limit. Unfortunately, from mid-race, I had no more grip at the rear. We are still analysing the reasons why and we still don’t have any certain results as to the causes at the moment. I am extremely proud of my team but, also in view of tomorrow’s race, we need to understand what happened and improve. Being unsatisfied today shows our mentality. On my part, I always give one hundred percent, and on the part of the team, they work constantly to achieve the result we know we deserve."
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THE APRILIA RS-GP MACHINES ARE AHEAD OF THE REST ON THE FIRST DAY IN INDONESIA
ALEIX, FIRST, AND MAVERICK, SECOND, BREAK THE MANDALIKA TRACK RECORD
The Aprilia Factory RS-GP machines started off strong for the first day of practice on the spectacular Indonesian Mandalika circuit. And they did so from the morning free practice sessions, with Viñales second and Espargaró third, both immediately at ease astride the Italian bike. And when things got serious, the two factory riders did even better, dominating the afternoon session, which is where the top ten riders are chosen to go straight through to Saturday’s Q2 qualifying session.
Aleix, in spite of a crash on one of his fast laps, set the new track record with a time of 1’30.474, just 154 thousandths faster than Maverick who, extremely consistent on every run and, although not finding a perfect lap, also finished faster than the old record.
ALEIX
"Today I really had fun riding the RS-GP. The new asphalt is an important step. Despite it being only Friday, it already has good grip and there are no bumps. The characteristics are suited both to the Aprilia and to my riding style. I’m especially pleased about our pace even on used tyres. After doing a good time, I was pushing perhaps a bit too hard and I crashed, but without consequences. It was important to get back out on the track and drop the time even farther with a less than perfect lap. That means that we have the right feeling and that there is still margin for improvement."
MAVERICK
"It was an extremely positive day, even over and above the final position, which is obviously outstanding. And the time came in spite of being unable to do a truly clean lap due to the yellow flags. We worked well and it is extremely satisfying to see how much we’ve improved since last season. Now we need to keep working well. We have the FP3 session tomorrow to get a good idea of how the bike is performing and to make a tyre choice."
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MAVERICK INVOLVED IN CONTACT ON THE FIRST CORNER
The Sunday Motegi MotoGP race was certainly not easy on the nerves for fans, teams, and riders. After the rainfall in the morning, the out lap to set up the starting grid was done on a dry track, but under alarming dark clouds covering the Japanese skies. In fact, the rain arrived just after the start, forcing all the riders (some earlier, some later) to return to pit lane for a bike change.
The perfect timing of Aleix, who was already recovering positions, actually shot him into the race lead, backed by a tyre choice which ensured traction and confidence. Only the diminishing water on the track caused him to lose ground, which he promptly recovered when the next rainfall came. The track conditions worsened gradually, especially in terms of visibility, until the red flag came out during the twelfth lap. At the second start, the riders were only able to do their out lap before the conditions of both water on the track and visibility determined the final suspension of the race with Aleix classified in fifth place.
Maverick’s race was substantially compromised on the first corner. After starting well, Viñales was forced to go wide, ending up crashing in the gravel on the escape lane. Back in the saddle – obviously in last place and more than a lap behind – he changed bikes and drew attention in the wet for his decidedly fast pace. The cancellation of the second start, where he would have been starting from pit lane, put an end to any ambitions he may have had of a comeback ride, leaving him understandably frustrated.
ALEIX
"All told, a positive day with perhaps my best performance in the wet. After the bike change, we had chosen the soft rear tyre, counting on the fact that when it rains it pours here in Motegi. Instead, on the first laps it was difficult. With not much water on the track, the soft tyre overheated and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to finish the race. However, when the rain increased, I began to feel increasingly better. I was making up ground on the riders ahead of me and could have aimed for something higher than fifth place. Unfortunately, visibility was really low and it got even worse after the red flag and the restart. The decisions taken by Race Direction today were impeccable."
MAVERICK
"My race was over on the first corner when I was forced wide into the gravel, crashing and restarting last with a huge gap. After the bike change, to be honest, my pace in the wet was extremely good, but with so much distance to make up, it would not have been an easy race. I was hopeful for the restart after the red flag. Even though I would have started from pit lane, at least I would have had another chance."
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MAVERICK BATTLES TO FINISH NINTH, ALEIX STOPPED BY A TECHNICAL PROBLEM
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.
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."
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."
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