Following Aprilia’s quadruple triumph: Sterlacchini highlights concerns in the World Championship finale

The Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika marked a historic MotoGP victory for Aprilia: Marco Bezzecchi won ahead of Raul Fernandez, Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura. It was the first time the Noale-based manufacturer had taken the top four places. Marc Marquez, the highest-placed Ducati rider, could only manage sixth place and had to relinquish the championship lead back to Martin.

For Aprilia’s technical director, Fabiano Sterlacchini, the result demonstrated just how valuable four competitive riders can be in the title race. At the same time, he cautioned against extrapolating the balance of power seen in Indonesia to the entire final stretch of the World Championship.

“It depends on the track. We’ve seen clearly throughout the season that Ducati has the edge on some tracks and we do on others. Of course, having four strong riders is a good problem to have. It’s good to be faced with the challenge of managing this situation,” commented the Italian.

Aprilia’s top World Championship contender finishes only third

Martin initially had to work his way up the field in the Grand Prix, whilst Bezzecchi and Fernandez set the pace at the front. Sterlacchini suspects that the Spaniard was deliberately seeking a balance between attacking and taking risks.

Jorge Martin verlässt Mandalika als WM-Leader

Foto: Gold & Goose

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“After the start and the first corner, he had to make up ground after losing positions. I can’t read Jorge’s mind, of course, but I believe he was trying to get the most out of it whilst taking as little risk as possible. In my opinion, it was mainly down to the early stages of the race. Once he’d caught up, his lap times were more or less on a par with those of the two riders at the front,” said the Aprilia engineer, analysing the World Championship leader’s race.

No team orders, but ‘guidelines and directives’

Alongside Martin, Bezzecchi is also keeping his title hopes alive. Following his victory, the Italian trails by 46 points. The question of how Aprilia will manage its riders against one another as the season progresses is therefore becoming increasingly important. Sterlacchini did not describe a fixed pecking order. Internally, however, discussions are already taking place on how to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

Aprilia stellte mit Bezzecchi, Fernandez und Martin das GP-Podium

Foto: Gold and Goose

“Our boss Massimo (Rivola) has already explained that, for the moment, they are free to ride as they please. Naturally, we are starting to discuss amongst ourselves how to set certain guidelines and directives to avoid problems,” said Sterlacchini. “Unfortunately, we saw from yesterday’s crash that such things are part and parcel of racing. Even when you try to clarify roles, opportunities and risks, things can still happen sometimes.”

In the sprint race, Fernandez and Bezzecchi had already crashed in the very first corner following a pile-up. On Sunday, they responded by taking the top two places. For Sterlacchini, the strength of all four Aprilia riders is an advantage that the manufacturer intends to consolidate through further development work.

The big question, however, is whether Martin is mentally strong enough to snatch the title from Marquez. “It’s difficult to say who is stronger in the mental battle. That can change from race to race. In a battle like this, it’s important never to give up until the very end and to leave no stone unturned,” Sterlacchini noted.

On which circuits does Ducati have the advantage?

Aprilia is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to hold its own against the competition from Borgo Panigale in the final 1000cc season. “As you’ve seen, we’ve also recently introduced further developments to the bike. We’re working day in, day out with all our riders to realise its full potential. Today we managed to place all our bikes ahead of Marc, giving us an extra advantage in scoring points. Beyond that, there’s no specific strategy: we have to get the most out of every event and every session,” explained Aprilia’s Technical Director.

Should the Qatar Grand Prix go ahead, as currently looks likely, there are still five race weekends to come: Phillip Island, Sepang, Lusail, Portimão and Valencia. According to the Technical Director, it is not always possible to reliably predict which circuits will suit Aprilia. He cited Spielberg as an example.

“Sometimes it’s hard to say – not because I don’t want to. For example, we’d expected to have to focus on damage limitation at Spielberg. But then we had a really good weekend there.” Sterlacchini remains cautious, however, about two of the remaining races. Aprilia is therefore working specifically to ensure it arrives as well prepared as possible.

“To be honest, I’m a bit worried. We’re taking the races one step at a time. We’re working on being as well prepared as possible for Sepang. Then, of course, comes Qatar. These two circuits are causing us a bit more concern. On the other circuits, we believe we’ll be fairly competitive. Valencia is likely to be evenly matched, because Marc is usually extremely strong in the left-hand corners.”

Raul Fernandez has “great potential”

Fernandez could also play an important role in the final stretch. The Trackhouse rider confirmed his strong pace throughout the weekend at Mandalika and finished second despite two broken fingers. Sterlacchini also sees him as a rider whose development is important beyond the current season.

“Raul is a key part of our project. He’ll be staying with us next year as well. That’s why we’re investing time in him – because we believe he has enormous potential.”

Raul Fernandez hielt durch und wurde Zweiter

Foto: Gold and Goose

When working with the four drivers, the technical director is also keen to capitalise on their different strengths.

“I haven’t just been doing this job for a year. Ideally, you’d combine the qualities of every single rider into one rider. The strongest riders are usually characterised by the fact that they bring all these qualities together: strategy, cleverness, talent and a willingness to work hard.”

“We try to balance this out by working individually with each rider. The positive qualities should, in a sense, spread like a virus, so that everyone improves their overall package.”

Willkommen zum Rennen in Mandalika

Foto: Gold & Goose

Pedro Acosta

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Alex Márquez

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Marc Márquez

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Start des Rennens

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Jorge Martin

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Ai Ogura und Pedro Acosta

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Luca Marini

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Raúl Fernández

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Quartararo und Binder

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Ai Ogura und Marc Márquez

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Enea Bastianini

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Alex Márquez und Fabio Di Giannantonio

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Marc Márquez und Pedro Acosta

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Marco Bezzecchi gewinnt das Rennen

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Sieger Marco Bezzecchi

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Fernández, Bezzecchi, Martin

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Sieger Marco Bezzecchi

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Willkommen zum Rennen in Mandalika

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