The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team began a partnership with Aprilia in MotoGP this year. It was a season of ups and downs, not always yielding the expected results for Miguel Oliveira and Raúl Fernández – particularly, the Portuguese rider faced some bad luck and injuries that affected his adaptation. Razlan Razali, one of the high-ranking officials of the team, anticipates improvements for 2024.
When questioned by SPEEDWEEK.com about whether the expectations for 2023 were higher, Razali explained that it was an adaptation year despite the high ambitions at the start:
– Firstly, I have to say we were ambitious and confident. The season also started well, but sometimes we faced misfortune. People forget that this is our first year with Aprilia. At the same time, Aprilia is managing a satellite team for the first time. This means it’s entirely new territory for us; we need to gain experience with the RS-GP22, get used to working with Aprilia. We know that last year, Aprilia didn’t run entirely smoothly. Additionally, we have a mix of problems with the team, with Aprilia, and the riders.
Razali also highlighted encouraging signs for 2024: ‘If you look at lap times, we are much faster than the factory riders with this 2022 bike. So, it can only improve for next year in our second season with Aprilia’.