The podium was really just a stone’s throw away, but for Aprilia the start of the 2022 season was in any case exciting, at least as regards the side of the garage occupied by Aleix Espargaro.
The Granollers driver obtained an excellent fifth place on the starting grid of the Qatar Grand Prix, then he was able to confirm himself also in the race, always remaining in the leading train and taking away the satisfaction of winning in the duel for fourth position with the eight. times world champion Marc Marquez.
The only drawback, if you really want to find one, is in not being able to go and take back the Honda of his brother Pol, who in the final had had a crisis with the tires after having commanded for 18 laps. The feeling, however, is that if the RS-GP confirms this potential, there will be opportunities for Aleix to try to get on the podium in this 2022.
“It would have been great to get on the podium, but we did a great job. Maybe I waited a bit too long behind Marc, ending up wasting precious time. Most importantly, however, we have shown that we are very fast, so I am proud of what I did with my whole team, “said Espargaro after the race.
“Being able to stay up there fighting with the best until the end was fantastic, then he confirms that we worked well during the winter. I’ve never felt so good with my Aprilia and the fact that I was able to fight with Marquez and Mir. I’m having fun and the hope is to find these sensations every race weekend “.
“I tried to give everything in the end to go get my brother Pol back. He had no tires left, so I wanted to try to attack him, but I was half a second. I would have needed a couple more laps to get on the podium, but That’s okay. I was one of the fastest drivers on the track, so I’m happy “, he concluded.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Akhil Puthiyedath
The other side of the coin for the Noale manufacturer is Maverick Vinales’ disappointing weekend. As far as he had shown during the tests, the rider from Roses seemed to have finally found the right compromise with the driving required by the V4 of the RS-GP, but the first race of the season was a hard awakening, which brought him back to being in the races held with Aprilia colors in the final part of 2021.
Maverick always found himself in the supporting positions and even in the race he took home only a few points with the 12th place. But what is worrying is the gap of over 20 “from his box mate. A clear sign that there is still a long way to go to find competitiveness. And it is a shame, given the great potential that the RS-GP has shown in the hands of Aleix.
“I was hoping to be able to fight with the fastest, but I didn’t feel good with the bike. I tried to understand Aprilia, but it’s very complicated. The race was too, because I didn’t have the pace I would have hoped for”, Vinales explained.
Then when he was asked what are the problems that afflict him most, he added: “The turning and the feeling on the front are the two biggest problems. I always had the feeling of losing the front, so we still have to learn things. , because I always find myself at the same point on the RS-GP “.
Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Akhil Puthiyedath
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