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Among the many expected new aspects of this 2024 season is undoubtedly also the return of a prominent figure in the paddock, that of Davide Brivio. Born in 1963, the Monza-born manager needs no introduction, with thirty years of experience in the racing world, from the ‘90s with Yamaha in Superbike at the time of Noriyuki Haga, who he will then follow in MotoGP, passing through the Checa years and Biaggi, to follow the golden years of Valentino Rossi's successes.
Then in 2020 with Suzuki he again won the world title with Joan Mir, before embarking on a new chapter in his career with the Alpine F1 team. However, having concluded his Formula 1 period, the sporting director now returns as Team Principal of the Aprilia Trackhouse team.
Present at the tests in Qatar, he spoke to the media about the process that led him to return to the paddock with this particular team.
"I had just finished my previous experience in Formula 1 last year and I was waiting - says Davide Brivio - and I was contacted as I was free. The idea straight away was to help the team. Then I was contacted by Justin Marks who offered me full involvement and I was happy to take up this opportunity. I visited the Trackhouse headquarters in the United States and there it was easy for Justin to convince me. I have always loved American sport, now I no longer have any excuses to get to know NASCAR better!", he jokes.
However, there was not only the desire to return to MotoGP, but also the opportunity given by being able to grasp the best of two similar but distant worlds.
"The Trackhouse team is a serious team in the United States, a successful and well-organized team, and these factors made me even more interested in the project. This team, already involved in NASCAR, sees a great opportunity in MotoGP , not just for the fans but because it's a global sport and they want to get to know it better and learn as much as possible about this world. For them it's an opportunity to get out of the United States and I think it will be nice to work together on this project. Justin is directly involved and in addition to wanting to learn, he already knows some dynamics of the world of Motorsport in general. He has been a driver and in some ways he still is because he still has that competitive mentality, having this direct relationship with him is something very positive. I think that one of the values of this partnership could be the opportunity to mix these two cultures, to allow these two worlds to observe and get to know each other. It is a special project therefore, it will be an independent team in MotoGP as others already are, but maybe we can do something different."
In the past you already had the opportunity to allow two distant worlds to get to know each other, as in your years at Suzuki with the Japanese.
"This is the first time with Americans! - he jokes - but in a certain sense it's true, I like to learn and respect other cultures and get the best from each one".
The Team Principal then commented on his recently concluded experience in Formula 1.
"With Alpine in Formula 1 I had a great experience, I am happy to have had the opportunity to experience the world of Formula 1 from the inside, seeing how such a large organization is structured and works. The way in which thousands of people interact with each other was certainly something that intrigued me. I'm happy with that experience, and now returning to MotoGP I think I'll be able to approach it with a different mentality. Obviously there are several things still in their raw state that we'll have to work on, with the new team there are still many things to organize but step by step we will get there. It's a difficult job but professionally I think my experience in Formula 1 was very constructive. If you have a passion for racing, every sport has something great to offer, having different experiences is always positive."
What is therefore intriguing will be to see what nature this team will have, as it is born from an already consolidated structure in the United States.
"It is an American-owned team, but it will also be a team with a lot of European DNA within it. The difference from the European teams will not be so palpable because we are still at the beginning, but we will still try to work to bring something different. We will have an fresh approach, the kind that comes with the excitement of being the new ones, but now I don't want to raise expectations too high yet."
The past experience in Suzuki with the Japanese will certainly be of help in dealing with this team that has an overseas base, but its creations, the motorbikes, have the Italian character of Aprilia.
"I'm happy with this partnership with Aprilia. Of course at the moment Ducati is dominating in the last two years, but I think Aprilia is in an excellent position to be able to throw down the gauntlet, as KTM is also doing. This is a good time to link up with Aprilia, we have also seen the new bikes that have made further steps forward, especially in terms of aerodynamics, the fact that other manufacturers are copying from Aprilia speaks for itself. The road is obviously still long, even for Ducati it took years to get to where it is now, so hopefully we're on the same path as Aprilia. Obviously we'll need to keep an eye on KTM's progress, while Yamaha and Honda are recovering, so maybe we could have an advantage over them. It's nice to be with Aprilia, and there's a good relationship with Massimo Rivola, we know each other well."
