KTM's Tire Management Triumphs Over Aprilia's Setback at Sepang MotoGP

The Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit presented a stark contrast in fortunes for KTM and Aprilia, as the Austrian manufacturer overcame persistent tire degradation issues to challenge Ducati, while Aprilia struggled to match expectations. The reversal of form was attributed to a combination of factors, including team strategies and track conditions.

Traditionally, Aprilia has been lauded for its adaptable bike, which has demonstrated consistent performance across a variety of circuits. KTM, on the other hand, has experienced fluctuations in form, often dependent on how well a particular track suited its RC16. However, the Sepang race defied these expectations, with KTM emerging as a frontrunner while Aprilia languished in the mid-field.

KTM’s Surge in Performance

KTM’s success at Sepang can be quantified by several key performance indicators:

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Qualifying Gap to Pole: 0.362s
Sprint Race Gap to Winner: 5.155s
Grand Prix Gap to Winner: 2.676s
Gap to Fastest Lap: 0.438s

Throughout the season, KTM has battled with excessive tire wear, a problem exacerbated by the high temperatures encountered during the flyaway races. The Australian Grand Prix served as a pivotal moment, with Pedro Acosta initially contending for the lead before his rear tire deteriorated, relegating him to fifth place.

This experience prompted KTM to refocus its efforts on addressing the tire issue in preparation for the Malaysian Grand Prix. Riders also adjusted their strategies, prioritizing tire preservation from the outset. These adjustments proved crucial, as KTM riders maintained a competitive pace throughout the race despite the elevated temperatures.

Brad Binder, a factory rider for KTM, explained their approach: "We tried to load the front a little bit more to try and make the front stick and it seemed to help a little bit. The biggest thing is just to really try and be super clean on the throttle. That was the main goal."

Acosta adopted a strategy of minimizing electronic assistance, relying instead on his feel for the bike to manage tire wear. He conserved his tires in the first half of the race, positioning himself behind Francesco Bagnaia after an initial overtake attempt was thwarted.

Pol Espargaro, substituting for Maverick Vinales at Tech3, expressed optimism about KTM’s progress: "The bike that we have at the moment, it’s not the best bike we want, but it’s a good package that we could solve the problem after Phillip Island. We had a good degradation, where the tyre was suffering a lot, we could manage. So, it means we learn from our mistakes."

Acosta finished the race just 2.7 seconds behind Alex Marquez, a significant improvement compared to his sprint race deficit. The double podium finish yielded crucial points for KTM, keeping their championship hopes alive.

Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder demonstrated their ability to recover from poor starting positions, finishing inside the top 10. Bastianini, who often feels like he is "jumping on the bike for the first time" at the start of each race weekend, climbed from 19th on the grid to seventh.

"During the warm-up, I saw again the potential to do a great race," Bastianini said. "And, well, when you are behind the window, especially in the track, it’s very hot, it’s difficult to push and to force on the front. But, when I was alone, it was much better. And I did a good job."

Binder, who described his Saturday race as the "worst race of my life," rebounded on Sunday to secure a solid ninth-place finish. Despite qualifying remaining a challenge, his recovery ride was noteworthy.

Binder noted: "As soon as we lose the rear grip, the front starts to suffer. And then when the front really suffers in the end, it gets really, really tricky. We know there are things there that helped us and it’s just a matter of time until we get there."

Aprilia’s Unexpected Struggles

Aprilia’s performance at Sepang fell short of expectations, as evidenced by the following metrics:

Qualifying Gap to Pole: 0.548s
Sprint Race Gap to Winner: 10.2s
Grand Prix Gap to Winner: 19.2s
Gap to Fastest Lap: 1.344s

The team had anticipated that Sepang would pose challenges. While Aprilia had resolved previous overheating issues in Asian rounds, the weekend exposed other vulnerabilities.

Aprilia riders attributed their struggles, in part, to track conditions on Friday and Saturday, noting that the asphalt did not provide the expected level of grip. Although temperatures increased on Sunday, the rescheduling of the Moto2 race altered the conditions.

None of Aprilia’s four bikes qualified within the top 10. Ai Ogura was the highest-placed Aprilia rider, finishing 10th, over 19 seconds behind the race winner, translating to a deficit of nearly a second per lap.

Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia’s leading rider, opted for the less-favored medium tire, believing it would be better suited to the hotter conditions. However, this gamble did not pay off, and he finished 11th, just behind Ogura.

Bezzecchi expressed that with the right tire choice, he could have replicated his sprint race performance, where he finished sixth after Fermin Aldeguer’s penalty.

"We knew that coming here was going to be a bit more difficult compared to Phillip Island. Before Phillip Island, we didn’t know what we could expect from Phillip Island. But, coming here, having done the test in February, we knew that the bike was working in a different way," Bezzecchi said.

"I felt much, much better than in the test, so because of this I’m quite satisfied. But of course, we still have some job to do. I think that the behavior of the bike in general this weekend is super good for us because we discovered many things to work on. We already have many ideas. Of course, the result is not the best, but it’s part of the process, and we will keep working as always to try to improve."

Fernandez, winner of the Australian Grand Prix, also chose the medium front tire and was running 14th when he crashed at Turn 1.

Lorenzo Savadori, substituting for the injured Jorge Martin, finished 16th and expressed confusion over Aprilia’s lack of pace.

"Honestly, I don’t know why we cannot push at 100% here. But we need to understand better to find a good solution," Savadori said.

When asked about potential changes for Aprilia’s return to Sepang for pre-season testing in February, he added: "It’s difficult to say, it’s just nothing too big. In MotoGP, the [difference in] lap time for everybody is very small. So just details. At the moment, we are focused on electronics, so we need to improve something there."

The Sepang race served as a reminder to Aprilia that progress in MotoGP is not always linear and that closing the gap to Ducati will require significant effort during the off-season.