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Maverick Vinales Calls for Incremental Updates as Aprilia Reflects on 2024
Maverick Vinales has expressed his preferences regarding Aprilia’s approach for the 2024 MotoGP season, emphasizing a desire for only minor adjustments to the RS-GP rather than a complete redesign. His insights come after a year where Aprilia introduced a significantly updated version of the bike, with particular emphasis on aerodynamics aimed at narrowing the performance gap with rivals like Ducati and KTM.
The initial rollout of the 2024 model showed promise, culminating in Vinales’ victory in the sprint race during the second round in Portimao, followed by a remarkable double win in Austin. However, as the season progressed, Aprilia’s performance became inconsistent, with Aleix Espargaro managing a single win in the Barcelona race, leaving Vinales to reflect on what could have been.
Vinales believes the team would have been better off enhancing the 2023-spec bike that had already proven successful, rather than embarking on a completely new direction. “After finishing 2023 in Valencia, I made two requests: improvements for race starts and to keep the same bike, as I was very fond of it,” he stated. However, he noted that during pre-season testing in Sepang, things took an unexpected turn, a decision he now regrets.
“I think if we had the 2023 bike with slight tweaks to the aerodynamics and downforce, we could have competed for a top-four finish consistently,” Vinales pointed out, reflecting on the knowledge the team had acquired about the previous bike’s setup. When asked if the changes to the 2024 model were excessive, he admitted uncertainty but lamented it was too late to revert. “Riding a bike I didn’t enjoy for an entire year was challenging,” he added.
Despite these challenges, Aprilia managed to secure victories, with Vinales being the only non-Ducati rider to win a sprint race in 2024 and triumphing at the US Grand Prix. Nevertheless, the brand ended the season third in the manufacturers’ standings, trailing KTM due to a lack of overall consistency across the season.
Vinales also noted a perplexing aspect of the season: understanding why performance varied so drastically between tracks, particularly highlighting the contrasting results in Portimao and Austin compared to other circuits. “We still struggle to comprehend our speed in those two races, as I’ve performed well in other locations but not to the same extent,” he explained.
Looking ahead, Vinales is set to join the Tech3 KTM team for the 2025 season on a two-year contract, collaborating with Enea Bastianini, a former Ducati rider. Reflecting on his time with Aprilia, the manufacturer that took him in following a tumultuous departure from Yamaha in 2021, he expressed gratitude for the support received during his tenure.
“On a personal level, my journey with Aprilia has been fulfilling. I encountered dedicated and warm-hearted individuals throughout my time there,” Vinales noted. “From a technical standpoint, there were areas where we fell short, particularly this year, but overall, we should take pride in our achievements. Even while competing against a dominant factory like Ducati, we managed to reach the front row and secure positive results.”
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www.autosport.com