MARCO BEZZECCHI RECOVERS FROM BEHIND TO FINISH NINTH, POSITIVE RETURN TO THE TRACK FOR JORGE MARTÍN WHO FINISHES SIXTEENTH. TRACKHOUSE MOTOGP TEAM’S OGURA IS THE FIRST APRILIA ACROSS THE LINE, FINISHING SEVENTH
The sprint race came to an end for Aprilia Racing at the Lusail International Circuit with Marco Bezzecchi finishing ninth. Jorge Martín, riding in his first sprint race of the season after being out with injuries, finished sixteenth, continuing his efforts to adapt to the RS-GP25.
Marco Bezzecchi took home a positive ninth place after a comeback race, demonstrating determination from the qualifiers on. The Italian barely missed going through to Q2 by just 41 thousandths of a second, placing thirteenth on the starting grid. In the sprint race, Bezzecchi was protagonist of an exciting race filled with overtaking which allowed him to make up ground and finish ninth.
It was a positive return for Jorge Martín in his first sprint race of the season after almost five months of down time due to injuries. The Spanish rider demonstrated good sensations straight away in Q1, finishing with the fourteenth best time. Despite being at less than 100% physical fitness, Martín showed great determination throughout the eleven laps of the sprint race, managing to complete it and finishing in sixteenth place. An impressive sign of his physical recovery and adaptation to the RS-GP25.
Worth a mention is the performance by rookie Ai Ogura, riding for Trackhouse MotoGP Team, who continues to astonish. The Japanese rider took seventh place in the sprint race as the first Aprilia to cross the line.
This sprint race was similar to the previous races. I wheelied a bit at the start but then I was able to recover well. In the early stages, between battles and the usual difficulty with the new tyre, I struggled to squeeze out one hundred percent, partially due to problems with stability. However, once the tyres begin to run in a bit, I begin to have a better feeling as I’m able to push harder. I did some good overtaking and I always have plenty of fun, with good confidence on the bike, but I need to be more incisive in the early stages.
I knew my performance would drop after a few laps, but we achieved our goal which was to finish the sprint race. I had an outstanding start but, since I still don’t know the bike well, I am undoubtedly far from where I need to be in terms of riding. I need to be patient – it’s just a question of time to adapt and figure out the RS-GP25. However, I do not think that I have lost my speed. In the afternoon, I just barely missed going through to Q2.
The sprint race was a bit complicated, especially in terms of preparation. Not managing to go through Q2, which means starting from behind, certainly conditioned the result. Marco had some difficulty at the start but then he managed to overtake several riders and maintain a good pace. We are still lacking a bit to be truly competitive and make a play for the important positions, but we are working hard. We are extremely pleased to see Jorge back on the track. In the sprint race, he had to settle in a bit, besides dealing with his physical problems, but we are rather happy because it is a good starting point. Ogura’s performance also continues to impress, demonstrating that the potential is there and it simply need to be exploited better than what we are doing.
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