Surprise podium in the Sprint
The Sprint race of the Austrian Grand Prix had definitely satisfied Aleix Espargaroproud to have completed one of the best Saturdays of his career after the surprising 3rd place behind his compatriot Jorge Martin and the winner Francesco Bagnaia, both in first and second position also in the following long race. In this last test, however, the difficulties of theAprilia on a circuit like that of the Red Bull Ringparticularly to the detriment of Espargarò himself.
Further back in the long race
The Spaniard, after a dull start, lost several positions and had to deal with some obstacles, having to settle for a 9th place final: “From the beginning of the race I had Complications with braking – he admitted – being inside the big group, the temperature rose and consequently affected the efficiency of the brakes, an aspect we need to work on. It was expected to be a complicated weekend but we were still competitive, we took a fourth position on the grid, a podium in the sprint and important points in the long race”.
Braking: the real problem
A complex weekend for the Noale-based manufacturer, which however ended with both its official riders in the top 10. Maverick Vinalesin fact, did the opposite of his teammate, improving his performance after a complicated Saturday, bringing home important points thanks to the 7th place: “It was a defensive match, I tried to get the best out of it – he added – on this circuit in particular, I struggled with braking, it was difficult to stop the motorbike. Honestly, I think it’s a good result, they are still important points. There are some areas where the bike was very strong and we know there are things to improve, like braking”.
Useful data for the future
The two Aprilia riders therefore struggled especially in braking, but the data collected at the Red Bull Ring could be useful for developing the bike in view of the next races, also thanks to the contribution of the wild card Lorenzo Savadori20th on the RS-GP: “It was a positive weekend overall, in which we found some interesting aspects for the future. In the race I had to try some new things that still need some kilometres to be fully evaluated, but if it hadn’t been for that, the pace wasn’t bad and I could have fought for the points. It confirms to be a difficult track for us, especially in conditions of high tyre degradation, low grip, big decelerations and low speed restarts. These are all areas we are focusing on, also in view of the 2025 bike”.
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