Trackhouse Aprilia’s first weekend with both riders on 2024 Aprilia RS-GP machines ended in disaster at Silverstone when Raul Fernandez crashed on the first lap and his sliding machine knocked his teammate Miguel Oliveira out of the race.
It was a frustrating end to a MotoGP event where both riders, along with the factory team, also unveiled Aprilia’s latest aerodynamic update “which provides better ground effect stability when leaning”.
“We can’t wait to get back on track and rebuild after the events at the British Grand Prix,” said team boss Davide Brivio ahead of this weekend’s Austrian race.
“Miguel has achieved great results at this track – the Red Bull Ring – and of course we will try to use his experience and talent to gain an advantage there.
“For Raul, it is a continuation of his work to adapt to the 2024 bike, which he did well at Silverstone. So we head to Austria with the aim of having a strong weekend and taking a step in preparing for a good second half of the season.”
Oliveira made history with his and Tech3’s first MotoGP victory in the final corner showdown of the 2020 Red Bull “Styrian” round.
“After Silverstone, we felt overall that we had a more competitive bike on Sunday than in the sprint race (10th) and for that reason we believed that a good race result was possible on Sunday,” said Oliveira.
“Regardless of how it turned out last time, I’m really looking forward to Austria as it’s a track I really like. I won my first MotoGP race at the Red Bull Ring, so let’s start the weekend in the right direction and build the rest from there.”
While Oliveira’s plans for MotoGP in 2025 are not yet confirmed – a move to Pramac Yamaha is predicted – Fernandez is likely to be the only Aprilia rider to remain at an RS-GP, as his new Trackhouse contract was announced during the summer break.
The young Spaniard starts the second half of the season just five points behind Oliveira in the World Championship.
“I’m really excited to get going again after Silverstone because it was a bit disappointing for us,” said Fernandez.
“Anyway, the Red Bull Ring is a very good track for us as I am quite good at setting hard braking points and this track has a lot of them, so maybe that can help us.
“At the same time, I have to say that I have not been at my best in MotoGP in the past, but we have to continue working on the new bike to understand a lot more about it.
“We have two or three different ideas in mind that we want to try out, so we’re coming to Austria with realistic expectations – I just want to work, improve and understand the direction I want to take with the bike.”
