Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola says he doesn't know whether the cancellation of Sunday's Australian Grand Prix was good or bad for his team, given Jorge Martín's absence through injury.
The marque's lead rider Martin broke his arm on Saturday while fighting for the sprint win, losing the championship lead to Marc Marquez. From his perspective, the cancellation is seen as a small relief and a slight opportunity to remain in the title fight, as not racing prevents his Ducati rival from extending his 10-point lead in the standings.
However, Rivola is unsure if the answer is so clear cut for the team as a whole, with Marco Bezzecchi sitting third in the standings and trailing Marquez by 50 points.
“I don’t know. I’m sure Marco is a little annoyed because he saw an opportunity,” Rivola explained during a meeting with the media on Sunday at Phillip Island, after the race was cancelled. “But I think Jorge is happy.
“I feel sorry for the people who have been here all day, since very early in the morning. And the last dance, let’s say, the last race at Phillip Island deserved a better ending. But that’s how things are.”
The organisers cancelled the race because they could not guarantee that the medical helicopter would be able to fly to evacuate any rider injured during the race, or land in Melbourne, where the nearest major referral hospital is located.
“Personally, I hadn’t thought about the helicopter issue,” Rivola admitted. “But that was the main problem,” he acknowledged.
Massimo Rivola, CEO, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Rivola spoke to the media immediately after the riders completed two demo laps behind the safety car in front of the thousands of fans who filled the circuit for the last time.
“I haven’t spoken to Marco yet after the riders stopped, to find out what the track is like. Judging by what we saw, the track conditions didn’t look very good, considering the average speeds they usually reach here,” he explained, acknowledging that track conditions were not ideal for racing either.
“It’s a shame, in a way, because we are here to race, obviously. In fact, the Phillip Island race is one of the most iconic, and we all love coming here. But that’s how things are. I don’t know whether it’s good or not,” he insisted.
“I’m here to race”
Given Rivola’s ambiguous answer, he was asked again about the issue and for his opinion on whether he was disappointed for Bezzecchi or relieved for Martin.
“I don’t know. I’m here to race. So when I come to Phillip Island, I don’t look at the race from a personal perspective. I brought my family because I told them they had to see the last race at Phillip Island. It’s unique. So they spent two or four days travelling back and forth around the world for nothing, but that’s how things are,” he explained.
“In the end, if we look at Jorge, it’s clear that it’s better if we don’t race, not even in Sepang, until the final two races, perhaps. But that’s not what we’re thinking about; what matters is what we have to do now. That’s the main task.”
It had been known for weeks that heavy rain was forecast for Phillip Island on Sunday, but the race was not moved to Saturday, as it was in 2023.
“In fact, Saturday afternoon was also supposed to be quite bad after the Sprint. Today was supposed to be cold and rainy, but not as bad as the previous night.
“Perhaps now, talking about whether we could have raced on Saturday, maybe, but it’s too early to say. It’s a shame that we couldn’t race for all these people, but it’s something we really cannot control.”
Jorge Martín and Marc Marquez
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
“Very difficult” for Martin to race at Sepang
Martin was injured during Saturday's Australian sprint, breaking the radius in his right arm. The non-displaced fracture could allow the Spaniard to race at Sepang next week.
“Very difficult. Very, very difficult. I hope to see Jorge in Sepang, at least with us, and we’ll see,” Rivola said. “I think the story between Aprilia and Jorge has been quite unfortunate. The good thing this time is that he has only broken a bone. It’s nothing serious,” he added.
“But I would like our story to end in the best possible way, with him at 100% physically. Yesterday, he put on an incredible show. We saw the real Jorge, and I think he had a chance of winning the race. But we can say that sometimes bad things happen. We haven’t had much luck with him, but we certainly won’t give up until this is over.”
Following the cancellation in Australia, there is still one grand prix, Qatar, which could also be cancelled, a scenario that would leave Bezzecchi with little chance of winning the title.
“On the one hand, there is a lot more to say; on the other, we simply do what we are told. If we do this job, it’s because we are passionate about it. If the organiser tells us that the conditions are suitable for racing from a safety point of view, we simply do it.
“We are not in a position to say: ‘I’m not going.’ So far, there is no reason to do so. Perhaps we’ll wake up tomorrow and the situation will have changed, but not today.”
“Right now, we believe there are four races left. I don’t know whether that is good or bad for Jorge, because if he isn’t physically fit, it isn’t good. But it’s not up to us to decide that."
In case you missed it:
MotoGP's final Australian GP at Phillip Island cancelled due to poor weather
Jorge Martin planning MotoGP return at Malaysian GP