Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola Expresses Mixed Emotions as Vinales Departs, Bezzecchi Joins for 2025 MotoGP Line-Up

Aprilia regrets parting ways with a talent like Maverick, but Bezzecchi emerged as the obvious selection. Massimo Rivola stated, "I believe I couldn't ask for a better roster of riders for the coming year."

The CEO of Aprilia Racing, Massimo Rivola, expressed his sorrow over Maverick Vinales leaving the team. However, he is extremely pleased to have secured Marco Bezzecchi as Vinales' replacement for the MotoGP 2025 season.

"I can't predict the future, but I believe we have the best possible group of riders for next year," Rivola stated on Monday following the official announcement of the Bezzecchi agreement.

Following Aleix Espargaro's retirement and Maverick Vinales' move to Tech3 KTM, Aprilia will feature a fresh roster. This new team includes Marco Bezzecchi, a 25-year-old with three MotoGP wins under VR46 Ducati, and Jorge Martin, the 26-year-old current championship frontrunner from Pramac Ducati.

Martin's agreement was finalized during the testing session at Mugello following the race. At that time, Rivola was still optimistic about keeping Aprilia's COTA victor, Vinales.

“Things moved swiftly. I was aware that Mugello was probably a critical point for Jorge, and I aimed to be prepared to seize the opportunity. And that’s exactly what happened,” Rivola stated.

"Maverick then made his decision and was quite fair in informing us ahead of time. So, from Mugello until now, not much time has elapsed, and I understood that Bezzecchi was the obvious choice."

"The components fit into their correct positions rather swiftly."

"I completely understand and respect Maverick's choice. Although it's somewhat unfortunate, it also opens the door for us to bring in a talented Italian rider."

Aprilia signed Vinales, a racer with nine MotoGP wins, following his unexpected departure from Yamaha in the middle of 2021.

The Spanish rider needed more time than anticipated to achieve victory on the RS-GP, while his teammate, Aleix Espargaro, consistently spearheaded Aprilia's efforts during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Maverick Vinales found his stride in the second round of the season at Portimao, securing a win in the Sprint race and then achieving a flawless double victory at COTA.

Despite not securing a podium finish on a Sunday recently, Vinales continues to lead as the highest-ranking Aprilia rider in the world championship, currently holding sixth place.

“I'm definitely disappointed to lose someone as talented as Maverick. Like I mentioned before, I would have loved to see more performances like the one in Austin from him, and I'm willing to bet that we'll witness more of those by the season's end.”

"However, I honor the choice he made and believe we shared a wonderful experience together. Towards the conclusion of his tenure with Yamaha, he faced significant challenges, and we encountered difficulties as 2021 drew to a close."

"I believe Maverick will be battling hard over the next 13 rounds. I'm confident of that. I also hope and think our journey together will conclude in the best possible manner."

“He seems eager to be the sole victor across multiple manufacturers. He possesses the skill to achieve this, and that’s all there is to it.”

Aprilia: ‘I believe we are making smart choices’

With Vinales leaving, Aprilia will introduce a completely fresh roster for the first time since 2017. That year, Espargaro came over from Suzuki and was teamed up with newcomer Sam Lowes.

"This is our only uncertainty, as it's not perfect to switch out two riders simultaneously," Rivola stated. "However, with talents like Martin and Bezzecchi, I believe we're making a smart bet."

"It's not perfect, but we do have a satellite team, and I am hopeful that they will provide some consistency for us. So, let's wait and see. Again, it's not the best situation, but with a duo like Martin and Bezzecchi, we have reason to be pleased!"

Rivola also commended test rider Lorenzo Savadori for his significant yet often unrecognized contributions to the development of the RS-GP.

Rivola expressed that Lorenzo Salvadori deserves recognition for his long-term role as their test rider. He acknowledged that although Salvadori might not seem very competitive during wild card entries, it's partly due to the team's own shortcomings.

"You must possess the right mindset and passion for your team, your factory, and your manufacturer to accomplish what is required of you. Up until now, we have consistently moved in the correct direction."

"Absolutely, Maverick's riding style provided a significant boost to our development, especially since Aleix had been with us for many years. Additionally, having a satellite team was another crucial advancement."

"In the near future, with Raul Fernandez moving up, there will be four RS-GP24 bikes, which will provide an additional way to advance. However, we believe the design department and the testing team in Noale are already performing excellently."

"Clearly, it's still insufficient and I understand it will never be fully sufficient, but we have a lot of confidence in the work they do."

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