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It was a "race of survival," is how Maverick Vinales defined it on Sunday at the Austrian circuit in which for the eighth consecutive race Ducati dominated the standings, occupying the entire podium. A race of endurance then for the Spaniard, 6th at the start and 7th at the finish just behind a Ducati, that of Bezzecchi. The main clue seems to have been a brake problem, decisive in a stop&go circuit like the RedBull Ring. Maverick then pointed the finger at this aspect to bring the Aprilia back to fight at the top, not sparing then a sarcastic comment on the high temperatures in which "the Aprilia black certainly does not help."
Today there was a good fight with your teammate Aleix.
"In general especially on this circuit where braking counts a lot we have difficulties - Vinales said - stopping the bike during the race makes everything more complicated. It was a race of survival, in which I did the best I could do. Overall though, I think seventh place is a good result, we got some points and we are trying to improve. The bike was very competitive in some places, but on the braking there is still work to be done, especially on the straight."
Today was definitely better than in the sprint, what changed?
"We didn't change the setup, definitely the clean start helped, I had a green light right away and that helped me manage the tires better. The medium on the rear obviously behaves differently, pushing less on the front and that also helped. But I think specifically the bulk of the credit goes to the tire management in the second half of the race. To be honest, I expected to arrive at the end of the race in much worse conditions with the tires."
What are your difficulties in braking the bike dependent on, an issue of brakes, suspension or is there more to it?
"I think it's a matter of how you load the front end, so it's likely that we're still not loading it in the right way. If you look at the Ducatis they are always very free with the rear, this allows them to brake with ease. With our bike when you brake all the weight goes to the ground, it's not transferred, at the moment we're trying to figure out if that's the problem. Also this morning I tried to shift the weight to the front and raise the rear but it was impossible, I think this is the key to get back to fighting at the top."
It is often said that it is difficult to overtake with the Aprilia. Did you have to surprise Aleix at Turn 9?
"Actually if I am behind a Yamaha or an Aprilia it is normal to overtake. Behind a Ducati or a KTM on the other hand is complicated, a whole different story. Their top speed is higher, that makes the difference."
Were the temperatures a problem?
"Not today, but certainly we could try to find a way to change the airflows to keep it from overheating. But it's difficult; we could make it worse. Or maybe we could think of an alternative color in these conditions, black doesn't help."
Aleix: It was a nightmare, like being unrestrained
Of the same opinion was Captain Aleix Espargarò, who despite starting 4th finished 9th behind Morbidelli's Ducati.
"Yesterday the temperatures were a problem - Aleix intervened - but today despite the front pressure, even the temperature of the carbon discs was high, they were over the limit we set a new record. I tried to stop the bike with the rear brake but I was very slow, it was a shame."
Was the brake problem partly due to the Aprilia's aerodynamics?
"Yes, in our system everything is very close, normally we are the one with more pressure at the front, more temperature at the brakes. That's why at Silverstone I was able to run hard instead. In low temperatures it's an advantage, but in warmer conditions like this we need a different solution."
