It’s now official and we can confirm that Maverick Viñales’ first race in Aprilia colours will be at Aragón. The Spaniard, positively impressed by the RS-GP during his first outing at Misano, will flank Aleix Espargaró during the Spanish round.

Lorenzo Savadori therefore bids farewell to a permanent seat on the team. The Italian will continue on as test rider in 2022, and will compete as a wildcard in certain events this year, the rounds to be decided once he returns following the injury he sustained during the Styria GP.

Rivola and Albesiano agree: "Looking to the future with optimism"

“We are extremely proud to be able to announce our plans for the current season and for 2022 with the goal of optimising the contributions of our three riders to the utmost”, comments Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola. “Alongside our confirmed rider, Aleix, it is our pleasure to welcome a talented athlete like Maverick to the Aprilia Racing team, who demonstrated a great feeling with the team and the bike straight away and who I am confident will be able to give his best as early as the Aragón GP. At the same time, we are also confirming Lorenzo’s role as 2022 test rider. This is a fundamental position that rewards the great efforts he has demonstrated in developing the new RS-GP, whereas he will finish out the 2021 season taking advantage of the wild cards that we’ll decide on together as soon as he is back to 100% fitness.”

Technical director Romano Albesiano adds: “The decision to have Maverick on the track from Aragón is a direct result of the tests done in Misano. It was not a given that, after a career spent up to now on a bike with an in-line engine, Maverick would have a good feeling with our V4 straight away. This is why the test on this track, historically not an easy one for our bike, was an important moment of assessment. Therefore, we are satisfied with Maverick’s immediately positive reactions, which demonstrated a good feeling both with the RS-GP and with the team and our work method. His and Aleix’s talent, combined with the experience Lorenzo has gained this season, make us optimistic about the future of our MotoGP project.”

Translated by Heather Watson

MotoGP, Aleix Espargaró and his touching dedication to the Aprilia team