While Vinales managed to out-perform Espargaro o🧔n a few occasions last season, 2022 largely remained a learning year for the former Yamaha rider in what was his first full season with Aprilia. 

On the other hand, Espargaro pushed on to beco𒁃me a title contender for much of the campaign, while also taking his and the Italian manufacturer’s first-ever MotoGP win in Argentina.

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But come the♏ sta🌳rt of this season, Vinales and Espargaro have been much closer in terms of performance, which was highlighted by tough on-track battles in Portimao and Argentina.

The season-opener saw Vinales and Espargaro nearly come to blowsꦜ twice during the Sprint race, and although no incidents came from the hard-fought racing, Rivola knows this could take place eventually. 

Speaking to on the ‘Last on the brakes’ podcast, Rivola said this of the pair’s relationship: "He [Espargaro] was a big part in getting Maverick. I was in contact with Aleix to see how this [possibility] was feeling, if we can do it and so he behaved like a capꦆtain. 

"He still does that. Now he has a problem in a way because Maverick is really focused. But I feel really lucky. I know that sooner or later there w🌃ill be a problem between the two of them. But we have made things quite clear before we started racing this year.&nbs🐻p;

"At the end, they know that respecting eac💛h other is the key and they have a million chances ꦯto show if they are doing that on and off the track."

Aprilia could find themselves in a situation where they’re having to manage both riders battling it out for race wins which could inevitably lead to tension building within the garag🍃e.

But after already watching the pair𒁃 fight it out in Portimao, albeit for the top five and not a race win, Rivola expects the two Spaniar♈ds to remain respectful no matter the circumstances on or off track. 

"They know better than us what they are doing on-track," added Rivola. "The level of MotoGP riders now is ♍really, really high and we are speaking about riders that can calculate centimetres to put the w🃏heels. 

"The way they think, how fast they do that is somethin💎g [amazing]. If their mind is clean they race in that way, if there is something against someone else they race in a different way. 

"I appreciate the fact, in paꦑrticular Maverick and Aleix in the Sprint races mayb🐟e had a bit of a fight, but did it in a very sporting way. 

"In the end, was it right to do i꧅t from the simple [lap] time point of view, maybe not? But sometimes it’s also good that they measure each other. It’s their way to communicate with each other."