In a chat with Motorsport.com a few days ago, the highest-ranking executive of the orange motorcycle company recognized the leap in quality made by Aprilia, and personified it in the figure of Massimo Rivola , the CEO of the racing division. from the maker of Noale .
Rivola landed in Aprilia with a view to the 2019 MotoGP season, after extensive experience in teams such as Ferrari and Toro Rosso . In a process that has not yet ended, the Italian engineer hired specialists he knew from that previous stage, focusing, above any other field, on the areas of aerodynamics and tire degradation management, two of the key in F1 today. “ Aprilia incorporated experience from F1. The new boss [ Rivola ] is very smart; I like it a lot. He came from F1 and brought with him a lot of experience at the aerodynamic level ”, declared Stefan Pierer to whom he writes these lines.
Far from bothering him, the growth exhibited by Aprilia over the last two seasons motivates him, above all because it adds another European manufacturer to the personal crusade he has had for some time against the Japanese. “I am very happy that in 2022 there are three European manufacturers against two Japanese, given that Suzuki leaves it. I love that there is competition between European manufacturers. I like to beat the Japanese brands, simple as that”, added the controversial KTM leader.
Mindfulallthe above, theAustrianhas decided to shoot along the same route, something that in his case is very close at hand if we have inaccount of the close relationship it has with Red Bull. AIn addition to being the sponsor of the official KTM training,energy drink brandIt also has the structure that last year was proclaimed F1 world champion, with MaxVerstappen. It so happens that,next to level reached by the Honda engine that incorporates the red buffalo single-seater,another one of his big onespointsof strength isareaerodynamic, witha genius likeAdrian Neweyhead of that department.
“ Next year we are going to increase the bet on personnel from F1. Luckily, we have a long relationship with Red Bull, which is a winning team, so we know which door to knock on” , conceded the businessman, who, according to Forbes , manages a personal wealth of 1,200 million euros. “ Red Bull has hundreds of highly experienced aerodynamics specialists. That will be one of the keys in 2023”, Pierer stressed.
