Aprilia is currently in second place in the MotoGP Constructors’ World Championship, just behind the dominant Ducati – having been the only team to stop the Borgo Panigale manufacturer from winning in 2024 when Maverick Viñales triumphed at the Americas GP.
Also in the Sprint races, only Aprilia managed to take victories away from Ducati riders, and in qualifying, it has the only three non-Ducati pole positions. However, the results continue to be inconsistent, often seeing a drop in performance between qualifying and Sunday’s race.
Carlo Pernat believes that the riders – Viñales and Aleix Espargaró – may be the cause: ‘Some disappointment from Aprilia, because I think it’s a question of riders, in my opinion the bike is there. They got the pole in Silverstone, but then in the race they disappeared‘.
In a column for the GPOne.com website, the rider manager and columnist also stated: ‘This may be justifiable for Aleix Espargaró, who will retire at the end of the year, but it is less justifiable for Viñales, who should also show something more since he is going to KTM next year‘.
