GREAT PACE AND GOOD QUALIFIERS FOR APRILIA IN MISANO

SECOND AND THIRD ROW FOR MAVERICK AND ALEIX, READY TO RACE

Only in qualifying, partly due to less-than-perfect conditions, were the Aprilia riders unable to express their full potential. However, in FP4, the most important session of the weekend in terms of race preparation, Maverick and Aleix finished respectively in second and third place. In the event of a dry race, the RS-GP machines will be a force to be reckoned with, once again proving to be extremely competitive.

After clinching top-10 spots in the morning session, Aleix and Maverick went straight through to the Q2 second qualifying session which is the one that determines the first four rows on the grid. Going out on track with rain tyres due to the light rain, they then pitted straight away to switch bikes and tackled the qualifiers on slicks. Viñales had extremely interesting times which, when the chequered flag came out, earned him fourth place on the second row. Once he had adapted to the tricky track, Aleix also put in a good lap, finishing with a spot on the third row and the ninth-place time, right beside his closest rival in the championship, Fabio Quartararo. 

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
"We did a lot of work on the bike, making it longer to find stability on the braking sections, and I’m pleased because it worked. Our race pace in the dry is good, even at race distance, which could be fundamental here in Misano. It’s a pity about the qualifiers. In mixed conditions, I was unable to push as I would have liked, even though I didn’t finish too far behind the leaders. I know that I need to be on the podium in every race if I want to stay in the running for the championship title, so that remains our goal."

MAVERICK VIÑALES
"The qualifiers were incredible! I thought we would struggle in these conditions but instead we were fast and being in fourth place, just two tenths from the pole position time, is an outstanding result in view of the race. We had already demonstrated a pace in line with the fastest riders yesterday and we confirmed that again in FP4 today. I’m expecting a fast race where everyone will be on the attack from start to finish but we’re definitely in the mix and we can battle for the win. My feeling with the bike is good, so I’m confident even in the event of a wet race."