The unnerving new image of MotoGP's 'F1-ification'
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The opening day of full-grid MotoGP 2024 pre-season testing at Sepang served up perhaps the defining image so far of the series' aero revolution - and it wasn't to do with any of the actual designs.
The three-day shakedown at the same track that had preceded the test had already showcased many of the latest aero developments - whether they be revised front wing profiles hidden away by camo liveries to prevent rivals from getting a good gauge on the dimensions, increasingly intricate side structures or extensive modifications to the seat unit.
All of these, though, have largely been iterations on ongoing MotoGP design trends, more globally meaningful as a mass than as individual components.
But it was the sight of a 2024 Aprilia RS-GP taken through the corner at considerable lean angle by Miguel Oliveira with an array of pitot tubes attached at the seat that was really striking.
No, it is not some sort of new clandestine technology - and if you happen to tune in to pre-season testing for MotoGP's four-wheeled counterpart Formula 1, it will take you virtually no time to see a car carrying the kind of 'aero rake' pitot tube array that makes what Oliveira ran today seem positively quaint.
But what is an incredibly normal sight on an F1 car now feels so truly alien on a MotoGP bike - and while there's certainly a limitation to how many aero sensors can be fitted on a bike given its relative dimensional movements compared to the planted F1 car, clearly Aprilia has seen a benefit.
And, on the one hand, the team deserved to be lauded. It is not surprising that Aprilia has felt compelled to run an aero rake on its bike because, alongside Ducati, it's been firmly at the front of everything aero in MotoGP in recent years, and its commitment to technological innovation has paid off big-time on track, helping turn it from something of a MotoGP laughing stock to a bold and brave racing operation with a desirable product for prospective riders.
On the other hand... well, look at it.
Look at that absolute monstrosity (...).
