Aprilia Racing had in Aleix Espargaró its best element in 2023, with the rider finishing in sixth position in the championship, one place ahead of Maverick Viñales. If a few years ago this could be considered a good result in general terms, the truth is that this is not the opinion of the Italian manufacturer’s management, especially considering that in 2022 it was in the fight for the title.
Paolo Bonora, Team Manager of Aprilia, analyzed the season like this, making it clear that… he expected more: ‘To be honest, it was not a good year for us. Possibly because we started the year with too high expectations. We did not achieve the goals we had set for ourselves’.
Although there were good performances, there was also a great ‘waste’ in the opportunities where it was possible to do more: ‘In addition to the good races we had in Silverstone and Barcelona, in the second half of the season we did not score many points, we wasted many good situations’, he said, before clarifying that he is fully aware of the aspects to improve, and that there is a need to take that step to get closer to the rivals:
– We know what our weak point is. In some specific circuits, we are doing very well, especially on tracks with fast corners like Barcelona or Silverstone. But we have to improve the bike when it comes to hard braking, especially when coming out of a straight at high speed and having to stop the bike to lift it and go as fast as possible on the exit. Here we have to improve compared to our rivals.
