Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) grabbed his first top ten of the season on board his RS-GP at the Motul TT Assen and the Italian complemented his race-by-race improved feelings as he continues to adapt to his new machine.
It hasn’t been the easiest of transitions for ‘The Maniac’ after his 2019 move from the sweet-handling Suzuki to the slightly more rugged Aprilia, with Iannone claiming a best finish of P11 at the Catalan before going one better in the Netherlands.
“Not a bad race, but most important is the position and that the feeling has improved race by race. It’s really important for us,” commented the Italian, who thanked Aprilia as they continue to work hard to bring the RS-GP closer to the top factories.
“We work strong and sometimes I’m very disappointed and other times, and we’ve smiled. I think it’s a process of (getting) strong and, in the end, after this everybody’s happy. But, in any case, we have to continue in this way, improve and improve and work really hard. I want to thank Aprilia, I want to thank all the people at home. When things are really difficult, in the end we have good relationships and we want to continue like this.”
It was certainly a weekend where Iannone caught the eye. In FP1, the number 29 was just seven tenths off the fastest time and beat the likes of Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and teammate Aleix Espargaro. At the end of Friday’s running, Iannone found himself sitting P6 and in a provisional automatic Q2 place but a P12 in FP3 meant he’d have to contest in Q1. Qualifying didn’t go to plan but a solid Sunday afternoon saw Iannone earn his first Aprilia top ten. Now, can the 13-time Grand Prix winner continue to improve when the paddock heads to the Sachsenring this weekend?
“I think Sachsenring is a really difficult track because it’s pretty narrow and we’ll try our best,” previewed Iannone. “The electronic side will be important and we will work on this side and it’s a really good test to compare with other factories. This is the first year for us and we want to understand everything as best as possible. We will see and we hope to continue to work in this way.”
Both Iannone and Espargaro will be aiming for a top ten assault at the HJC Helmets Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. You can see both of the Aprilias in action when the MotoGP™ riders head out for FP1 this Friday at 09:55 local time (GMT+2).