The sixth race of the 2024 MotoGP season will happen this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Aprilia, the team, did well here last year. Aleix Espargaro won both the sprint and the main race, and Maverick Vinales finished second. Vinales hopes they can do well again, but he wants people to not expect too much from them.
When asked if Barcelona was the track where Aprilia could win again, Vinales said, “It will be a dream for sure, but we don’t know.” He thinks it’s hard to predict because many things can change in MotoGP. Vinales says they need to be smart and not expect too much from themselves. He says they’ll see how things go first, especially because it can rain a lot in Montmelo.
Last year’s Catalan GP was great for Aprilia. Aleix Espargaro won, and Maverick Vinales came second. The Aprilia team was strong because the track suited their bike and Espargaro’s riding style. They were fast in practice and qualified well. Espargaro won both the sprint and the main race.
This year, Aprilia started well, with Vinales winning in Austin. But their performance has dropped since then. At Jerez and Le Mans, they didn’t qualify well and struggled in the races. Vinales finished fifth in France, but the team wants to do better.
As they head to Barcelona, Vinales says the expectations will be high. But they need to remember that Ducati, another team, might also do well there. Aprilia wants to improve at all tracks, not just Barcelona. Vinales says they need to understand which tracks suit their bike better.
