Aprilia have been mooted as the team who co💫uld most closely combat Ducati in MotoGP’s earliest rounds.

The season kicks off on March 8 in Qatar, after a preseason which dropped hints about who might chཧallenge the established order.

Aprilia are the𒊎 outfit who caught the eye of Simon Crafar in the paddock.

“Up until [Tuesday], I hadn’t thought so,” he said. 𒀰“I thought iꦛt would be KTM.

“[Tuesday] they looked reall🦋y goo🐼d. It all seems to have come together.

“I just came back from Aleix Espargaro’s debrief and he said that he’s riding the best of his lifꦕe, and the machine he has is the bestꦅ motorcycle he’s ever ridden.

“I’ll summarise - it’s got a different chassis, it’s lighter, a bit more flexible, th🦋e swingarm is the same. They’ve saved weight but improved the flexibility which helps🗹 grip.

“They’ve got the area thing ꦦwhich helps Aleix. The Fo🍎rmula 1 style tail end that obviously puts downforce on the back of it.

New wings…

“They’ve done a lot of work.

“They haven’t got tꦗhe engine. He touched on the eng⛦ine because we all wanted to know what’s coming.

“They’re t💫he only ones without the ‘24 spec engine.

“He said that h🔜e spoke to [technical director] Romꦛano Albesiano over the winter to ask ‘what are we going to get?’

“And Romano said ‘we’ve got so much more than we expected from this engine, the numbers are rea﷽lly 🦋high’.

“It makes sense. 🥀It has won races. It🥀 is really competitive.

“I took f♉rom that - don’t expect too much. It’s a small step forward againꦿ.

“When you’re that high, it’s hard to get more.

“I think, overall, Aprilia are really innovative especially in the aerodynamic depar🌸tment.

“They have invented tꦯhings that others have copied. At least three th🐬ings that I know of.

“Competitive-wise, they surprised me.

“Raul? Amazing job con♍sidering he’s still in pain.

“Aleix𒅌? Super fast, in both one-off laps and long runs.﷽ Looking really good.”

F🌌actory Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez benefited from the bold aero that was used.

But Espargaro’s teammate Maverick Vina🍌les, and Fernandez’s teammate Miguel Oliveira, did not.

“To touch on the other two who don’t like the 🍸aero so much,” Crafar explained.

“I spoke to one of their engineers.

“H🥃e mentioned that the smaller riders seem more affected by the tail. It doesn’t sui🥀t them so much.

“They have gone back 🍌to the ‘23 for Oliveira an⛦d Vinales.

“They are trying to make those riders happy.

“Aprilia, overall, are doing a really good job.”