Aprilia has gradually moved up the pecking order in MotoGP over the last few seasons, making it an attractive target for riders as nearly the entire grid reaches the end of their two-year contract cycle after 2024.
Fabio Quartararo has been linked to Aprilia in recent weeks amid his continued frustrations with Yamaha, and the 2021 champion admitted last week that he has been talking with a number of manufacturers regarding where he will race next season.
But Aprilia feels it needs to bring in more developments on the RS-GP in order to lure in a star signing, as it openly admitted it is keeping an eye on rider market developments to finalize its line-up for 2025.
Asked if there has been any contact between Quartararo and Aprilia, the Italian marque’s CEO Massimo Rivola said: “First of all, we are happy about our four riders but we are also not honestly sleeping. So we need to check around what is the situation on the market and we will see.
“The priority is to have a better bike, then we will be stronger on the market.”
Massimo Rivola, Aprilia Racing CEO
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Quartararo revealed in Portugal that he will make a call on his MotoGP future ‘quickly remove’, saying “I will not spend months” to decide whether to remain with Yamaha or move to another manufacturer.
But Rivola made it clear that Aprilia will not be hasty in finalizing the rider line-up across its factory and Trackhouse teams, stressing its focus was on performance improvements.
“I think we will take time,” he said. “We have no rush. “I’m not obsessed with choosing riders, I’m more obsessed about having a better bike.”
Aprilia’s current roster includes factory duo Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales as well as Trackhouse riders Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez, with all but the last-named currently riding 2024-spec RS-GPs.
Espargaro is one of the keystones of Aprilia’s MotoGP project and is likely to get a contract extension if he elects to prolong his career, while Vinales’ chances of staying abroad have been boosted by his sprint victory in Portugal.
