The front end of the Aprilia RS-GP and its relationship with braking were the biggest sources of problems and limitations for the manufacturer’s riders at the Austrian GP. Maverick Viñales believes that solving this issue could be the key to returning to top results. The rider once again referenced the bike dominating the championship: Ducati.
One of the secrets to performing well at Spielberg—a track that demands a lot from the front of the bike and requires strong braking and acceleration, stop-and-go—Viñales was asked how slowing the bike down could be an area for improvement. He explained… with an eye on the Ducati Desmosedici: ‘I think it depends on how you ride with the front tire, and maybe we’re not riding the right way. Look at the Ducatis; they’re always releasing the rear […] and with our bike, it seems that when you brake, the downforce is always pushing you down and not making the transfer’.
It’s crucial, he clarified, to understand if this is the source of the problems he’s been feeling, although he knows that reaching this conclusion may take time: ‘What we need to figure out is if that’s the problem. But it takes time because it’s not easy. In the morning (during the Warm Up), I worked on trying to get the bike to transfer everything to the front, and it was impossible, even though I pressed a lot of buttons’.
For Viñales, if the team can understand how to improve in this area, performance could significantly improve: ‘Now we need to understand how to load the front tire because I believe the key to getting back to the front is that’.