The first version of the Aprilia RS-GP 2021 was tested in Jerez after the Portimao Grand Prix. The model should include several evolutions, including a new engine.
The MotoGP prototype of the brand has raised high hopes at Aleix Espargaro at the start of the year. He has had tears in his eyes and felt incredibly competitive during his first laps in February at the Sepang winter testing. After three struggling seasons, the Spaniard would finally be able to show what he was capable of.
Reliability problems affected the bike, the power of which had to be restrained. A lack of power which pushed Aleix to ride to the limit to be competitive, therefore to take risks and make mistakes, he explained throughout the year.
And even when he stayed on his wheels, he couldn’t make it into the top 10. Often positioned between 11th and 15th place, he had to wait until the end of the season to start obtaining the expected results (9th in Valence 2, 8th in Portimao).
Added to this are concerns on the other side of the box, with Andrea Iannone banned from driving for doping. This handicapped the Italian firm, deprived of a fast pilot and whose instructions had been followed for the construction of the new motorcycle.
The test riders were then called upon to contribute: Bradley Smith on the first 11 races (best result: 12th in Jerez 2), Lorenzo Savadori in the last 3 (best result: 18th in Valence 2).
The 2021 season has not yet started as the issues are already mounting. Andrea Iannone’s doping suspension was definitively confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the end of November, which forced Aprilia to look for a replacement. But all the riders approached, Andrea Dovizioso, Cal Crutchlow, Joe Roberts, Marco Bezzeccchi.
