Aprilia once again plagued by heat at Sepang: 'It's impossible, nothing works'

Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales endured a difficult start to the opening day of the 2023 MotoGP Sepang Test, with both Aprilia riders suffering from fuel consumption issues and a lack of grip due to excessive heat.

Espargaro, who finished 15th on the timesheets, admitted that the team is struggling to find a solution to the overheating problems that have plagued them throughout the pre-season so far.

"It's impossible to ride the bike like this," Espargaro said. "The heat is killing us. We can't get the tires to work properly, and we're losing a lot of time on the straights."

Vinales, who placed 18th, echoed Espargaro's concerns, adding that the team needs to make some significant changes if they want to be competitive in 2023.

"We have a lot of work to do," Vinales said. "The bike is not working well in these conditions, and we need to find a way to improve it. Otherwise, we're going to have a tough season."

Aprilia is not the only team struggling with heat issues at Sepang. Ducati, Honda, and Yamaha riders have also reported problems with their bikes overheating, but Aprilia's issues appear to be more severe.

The team will have two more days of testing at Sepang to try to resolve the problems before the season-opening race in Portugal on March 26.

Conclusion

Aprilia's pre-season struggles continued at the Sepang Test, with both Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales struggling with fuel consumption issues and a lack of grip due to excessive heat. The team has two more days of testing to try to resolve the problems before the season-opening race in Portugal on March 26.