Marco Bezzecchi
The 2025 MotoGP season is officially underway at the Thai Grand Prix, but Sylvain Guintoli has already noted a ‘problem’ for Aprilia that will affect Marco Bezzecchi.
Pre-season testing is done and dusted and racing is now on the horizon at Buriram as Aprilia look to bounce back after a disappointing campaign last term. But their hopes to improve on last year’s sole Grand Prix win took an early blow with Jorge Martin ruled out of the Thai GP.
Martin will also miss the Argentina Grand Prix after suffering yet further injuries with a fall in his quest to recover from fracturing his right hand and left foot at the Sepang Test in time for the Thai GP. The 2024 champion’s absence now leaves Bezzecchi to lead Aprilia at Buriram.
Sylvain Guintoli fears Aprilia’s heat ‘problem’ is ‘still’ an issue at the 2025 Thai Grand Prix
Aprilia have two new riders in their garage this year after hiring Martin and Bezzecchi to take over from Aleix Espargaro plus Maverick Vinales for the 2025 season. The Italian outfit’s test rider Lorenzo Savadori has stepped in for the injured Martin for the season-opening Thai GP.
The Thai GP was one of Aprilia’s worst weekends last term as Trackhouse Racing rider Raul Fernandez was the highest-placed rider on the RS-GP bike in the Sprint Race in P14. Vinales was the best-placed Aprilia rider in the 2024 Thai GP in P7 albeit 8.498 seconds off the lead.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Marco Bezzecchi from net worth to race number
Vinales endured an even more torrid time at the 2023 Thai GP after the now-KTM Tech3 star retired from the main event on Lap 23 of 26 due to the heat from Aprilia’s bike. And Guintoli fears for Bezzecchi and Savadori at the 2025 Thai GP as Aprilia’s heat issue is still a problem.
Guintoli explained on TNT Sports 2 (28/02, 08:04): “That was very much a problem last year. The riders, sometimes, had to pull out of the race. So, they really had some big problems.
“All these bikes are hot. You think you get the wind and get cooled down by the wind but it’s not the case at all. The engine is right there and the hot air is blowing right in your face.
“You are always hiding from the wind, as soon as riders get in a straight line they get their head down, they get their elbows in, the frame is absolutely boiling and in some cases can burn you even through the leathers.
“So, you’ve got to be careful with the conditions, with your hydration and the bikes, as well. The technicians are trying to improve the airflow but for the Aprilia, it’s still a problem! So, the Aprilia riders are going to be very, very hot this weekend.”
What did Maverick Vinales say about Aprilia’s heat problems after retiring from the 2023 Thai GP?
Factory Aprilia riders Martin and Bezzecchi, plus test rider Savadori, and satellite Trackhouse duo Fernandez and Ai Ogura will hope the Noale squad quickly sort their heat problems out should Guintoli’s fears for a ‘very, very hot’ weekend at the Thai Grand Prix now prove true.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Aprilia from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy
But it should even cause alarm among the Aprilia riders that heat problems still persist with the RS-GP two years on from Vinales retiring from the 2023 Thai GP due to it. The Spaniard pulled into the pit lane in Buriram after suddenly falling out of 10th place with two laps left.
“I wasn’t doing badly but at a certain point I began to lose mental clarity due to the heat,” Vinales explained after retiring from the 2023 Thai GP. “Especially on the straight, when I would lie down on the bike, the sensation of heat was astonishing.”
Espargaro also raised concern about Aprilia’s heat problems after the 2023 Thai GP, sharing: “I couldn’t breathe. It was the hardest race of my life. In the last three laps, I even started to panic because I tried to breathe and I couldn’t. So, I was super worried.”
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