The four Aprilia riders struggled with the intense heat conditions in the MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix. Aleix Espargaró finished breathless, Miguel Oliveira was forced to retire due to technical issues, and his CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team colleague, Raúl Fernández, even considered quitting.
The Spaniard mentioned that racing in hot conditions was easier with the KTM RC16, which never gave him any trouble: ‘Honestly with KTM it was very, very good in this type of race, because with the heat it was super good. Especially my body in hot races feels much better. But I didn’t feel anything like that’.
For Fernández, the current Aprilia RS-GP makes competing in very high temperatures very complicated, clarifying that it is not a matter of physical preparation:
– With this bike it is very difficult and impossible to manage. Honestly, in my opinion, factory riders Aleix and Maverick [Viñales] are super athletes, they are very prepared – especially Aleix, he trains a lot and is very fit. What I mean is that it is not a physical issue, it is something we cannot endure and so it is quite difficult’.
