Maverick Vinales is puzzled by how Aprilia performs differently between Friday practice and the rest of the MotoGP race weekend.
Since Vinales won the Americas Grand Prix in April, Aprilia hasn’t reached the podium again. They are now battling to keep second place in the manufacturers’ standings, just behind KTM.
During the recent German Grand Prix weekend, Vinales set a new lap record on Friday at the Sachsenring. However, things changed drastically for Aprilia during the race. Vinales finished 12th after running off the track early on.
Other riders like Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez from Trackhouse also struggled. They started strong but finished 6th and 10th respectively.
Vinales expressed disappointment with Aprilia’s lack of race pace. He pointed out that on Fridays, they seem competitive, but during the race, they fall behind significantly.
“It’s been a few races now where we’re not performing at our best,” Vinales said. “On Fridays, we’re right there, but then during the race, we’re 10 seconds off the pace. It’s really tough. We need to figure out why.”
Vinales believes there’s a significant difference in how the RS-GP bike behaves when riding alone compared to when in a group with other bikes.
“The bike’s behavior changes a lot in a group versus riding solo,” Vinales explained. “We might need to approach the weekend differently to understand the bike better in group situations.”
He mentioned issues with the bike’s electronics affecting its consistency from lap to lap. This inconsistency makes it hard for Vinales to feel confident and push the bike to its limits.
“We’re seeing changes in how the electronics work from one lap to the next, and we don’t know why,” Vinales noted. “The tires are consistent, but other factors like rear grip and wheelie control vary, which makes the bike unpredictable.”
Vinales emphasized the need to analyze these issues thoroughly to improve their performance in future races. Understanding these nuances, he believes, is crucial for Aprilia to compete effectively against their rivals in MotoGP.
