Aprilia’s disappointing fifth season had been something of a backward step, admitted race chief Romano Albesiano, who added that his twin role as team manager and technical boss meant he was spread a little thin.

“Personally I would prefer to be able to concentrate on the technical side,” he said.

They had expected by now to be challenging for the top five, but “we lost something in the balance of the bike compared with last year, and we didn’t understand at first,” he said.

“Now we think we have found the right way.”

They brought two of the development “lab bikes” that Aleix Espargaro had used since Phillip Island, where he finished a strong ninth.

By Michael Scott

Photos GnG

Aleix Espargaro, Valencia MotoGP 2018