Aprilia’s impressive performance at Mugello is all about balancing every detail, according to technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini. Starting the weekend with only a seventh-place finish in Friday practice, the team quickly reversed its fortunes by:
Locking out the front row in qualifying
Claiming one-two finishes in both the Sprint and Grand Prix
Nearly sweeping the podium, missing a full top three by just 0.034s
Sterlacchini explains that Aprilia’s key is a relentless focus on small improvements—through meetings, rider input, and continuous adjustments to every aspect of the bike, from electronics to riding style. He sums it up: “Every millisecond matters. Many drops make an ocean.”
The Mugello weekend also saw Aprilia claim a new MotoGP top speed record—368.6 km/h by Jorge Martin during final practice. Despite these leaps, the team kept their RS-GP setup close to its baseline, making only subtle changes for grip and track layout.
Sterlacchini stresses the value of a well-rounded, adaptable bike—even if it means sacrificing some performance on certain tracks. This approach is paying off: Marco Bezzecchi leads the riders’ championship by 17 points, and Aprilia tops both the constructors’ and teams’ standings as the series heads to Hungary.
