Aprilia Chief Rivola Concedes Uncertainty Over Australian GP Cancellation Impact

Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola has admitted he remains unsure whether the cancellation of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix ultimately benefits or hinders his squad, given the contrasting circumstances of his two riders.

Championship protagonist Jorge Martín suffered a broken arm on Saturday while contesting the sprint victory, surrendering the points lead to Marc Márquez. For the injured Spaniard, the abandonment of the main race offers a degree of reprieve, denying his Ducati rival the chance to extend a 10-point advantage.

However, Rivola noted the picture is less clear for the team collectively. Marco Bezzecchi sits third in the standings, 50 points adrift of Márquez, and the Italian reportedly viewed the wet conditions as a potential opportunity.

“I don’t know. I’m sure Marco is a little annoyed because he saw an opportunity,” Rivola told media at Phillip Island following the cancellation. “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.”

Officials called off the event because they could not guarantee the medical helicopter would be operational to evacuate an injured rider to the nearest major trauma centre in Melbourne.

“Personally, I hadn’t thought about the helicopter issue,” Rivola acknowledged. “But that was the main problem.”

Massimo Rivola, CEO, Aprilia Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images

Rivola addressed the press immediately after riders completed two demonstration laps behind the safety car in front of a capacity crowd attending the circuit’s final Grand Prix.

“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, conceding the surface was also suboptimal for racing.

“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 reiterated.

“I’m here to race”

Pressed again on whether he felt disappointment for Bezzecchi or relief for Martín, Rivola maintained his pragmatic stance.

“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 said.

“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.”

Heavy rain had been forecast for Sunday weeks in advance, yet the race was not rescheduled to Saturday as occurred 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 Martín to race at Sepang

Martín sustained a non-displaced fracture of the right radius during Saturday’s sprint, leaving his participation at next week’s Malaysian Grand Prix in severe doubt.

“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.”

With the Australian round lost, only Qatar remains as a potential further cancellation—a scenario that would effectively extinguish Bezzecchi’s title aspirations.

“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.”

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