Aprilia’s breakthrough in performance during the 2021 season was best highlighted by Aleix Espargaro claiming the team’s first podium of the MotoGP era, and first premier class podium since 2000 for the Italian𝄹 manufacturer.

Espargaro, who started his fifth season for Ap🧔rilia in 2021, also secured his first top ten championship finish 2014𝓰, which is his one and only for Aprilia thus far. 

Aside fꦬrom five non-finishes over the course of the year, Espargaro completed every race inside the top ten, which highlighted his current form which is arguably the best of his career, while also showing the improved performance from Aprilia. 

Following a first front row start since 2000 for⛎ the team in Sachsenring, a ra꧑ce he went on to finish in seventh, Espargaro took the team’s long-awaited first podium in Silverstone after getting the better of Jack Miller and brother Pol Espargaro late on. 

Espargaro will once agai🐷n return to the team in 2022, alongside the team’s late-season addition of Maverick Vinales. 

After the Spaniard’s controversial departure from Yamaha following the second Austrian round, Aprilia decided to put Vinales on their RS-GP 21ไ bike for a Misano test, before signing him throug﷽h to the end of 2022. 

Although Vinales only secured one top ten result in his five races, the 26 year-old flashed👍 potential ahead of what will be a crucial 2022 season in hiꩵs career. 

Speaking after the season, Rac🦩e Manager for Team Aprilia Gresini Racing, Paolo Bonora, called it a ‘wonderful season’ despite needing further improvements to challenge the likes of Ducati and Yamaha on a c🥂onsistent basis. 

"This season was a wonderful season for 🅠us. We achieved some very good results," Bonora told motogp.com. "We followed the podium for many years and this year we achieved this great result in Silverstone.&nb🎀sp;

"We are very happy as a team. We thank so muc🤡h Espargaro, but also [Lorenzo] Savadori and now Vinales for the development that we have done and that we will do for next season. 

"For su🌜re we must improve. We have positive things in our bike but we are still improving and need to improve because we need to fight with the other competitors. 

"It’s very difficult to do in such a competitive championship like the MotoG💦P one. 

"For sure, during the first part of the seasoꦆn we raised up t⛦he performance and the confidence of the riders improved step-by-step and the result of Silverstone was unbelievable."