Aprilia has four riders in MotoGP whose contracts end at the end of this year – Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales in the factory team and Miguel Oliveira and Raúl Fernández in Trackhouse Racing. The idea is to keep the quartet, but Aprilia Racing’s CEO, Massimo Rivola, doesn’t want to be distracted.
The Italian emphasized his preference for stability and satisfaction with the current riders, but also admitted that he has to be prepared in case a rival hires an Aprilia rider:
– I think this year’s crazy market will start very early. Maybe it has already started. I always say that for me stability means performance, also because when you change a rider, it is likely that you change the chief mechanic, maybe some mechanics. Most of the time the rider moves with the people he trusts. So, for me, I have to say again that I am quite happy with the four riders we have. But if someone comes and steals our rider, I need to be ready to react. Let’s say I’m happy but I won’t sleep.
Asked if that means he won’t actively be looking for new riders, despite staying alert, Rivola replied: ‘Yes, but at the same time I don’t want to sleep. So I need to pay attention and check the market, where it’s going, what’s being done‘.
