Crew chief on Ai Ogura: He often analyses instead of giving 100 percent

In the second part of the interview with SPEEDWEEK.com author Manuel Pecino, Trackhouse Aprilia Crew Chief Giovanni Mattarollo talks about working with Ai Ogura. What the Japanese rider is currently focussing on in order to be stronger, especially at the start of the races.

Several people have told me that Ai Ogura's biggest problem is getting the rear tyre up to temperature at the start of the races. Is this something that can be improved?

Yes, and in fact it has already improved significantly compared to last year. However, Ai has a very unique approach. He always takes time to understand the situation before pushing himself to the limit. Even if he has already spent days on the track, he builds up his confidence step by step with each outing.

Does this approach affect him in the races?

Yes, it does. In the first few laps, he often analyses the situation instead of giving 100 per cent. We are currently working on that. The interesting thing is that this approach also helps him to protect the tyres exceptionally well. Sometimes he even goes too easy on them. There are races where it is surprising how much tyre performance he has left at the end.

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So the aim is to get him to attack earlier?

Exactly. He is already improving and I am convinced that if he learns to push harder from the start, he will still have more tyre performance at the end of the race than most drivers.

Another characteristic that is often mentioned is that he needs time to rebuild his confidence after a crash.

That's true. Some riders, like Marco Bezzecchi, crash, get back on the bike and are immediately fast again. It's different with Ai. He has to rebuild his confidence before he can reach his maximum performance again. The same thing happens in wet conditions. He is not slow in the rain, but it takes him longer to assess the grip level and build up his confidence.

Is that improving?

Yes, last year was difficult because he had several crashes and injuries, which meant he had to constantly restart the process. But if you look at the results, the progress is obvious. Last season, he made it straight to Q2 in the last two races. This year, he managed to qualify directly for Q2 in the first four races. He is building up his confidence and getting stronger every weekend.

What are your goals for him?

My goal is simple: to finish every session in the top 10. For qualifying, the minimum target is the second row of the grid. Because if Ai starts from the front, we know exactly what he is capable of in the race.