MotoGP | Aleix fears tire stress: “It will be a train race”

Friday at Le Mans provided us with many confirmations, but also several surprises. From Jorge Martin star performer to Marc Marquez in Q1, passing through Pedro Acosta in great form and the direct access of Fabio Quartararo in Q2. However, there is a big question regarding the tyres. The two free practice sessions were held under a beautiful hot sun, perhaps too hot, and this caught the riders by surprise, who had to remedy this by fitting harder compounds.

Raising doubts is Aleix Espargaro, always very attentive to safety and what happens on the track in addition to the stopwatch and race pace. According to the Aprilia representative, this heat will complicate life for all the riders and, in order to manage the tire and the pressure, it will be difficult to see overtaking. The Granollers driver therefore foresees a “train” race, in which fun will not be king.

“Theoretically there are overtaking points,” explained Espargaro. “But with so many crashes on Friday, with the tire pressure and the stress on the front tire… I have the feeling that the race won’t be fun for you fans and professionals. The stress on the front tire is extremely high, so it will be a push-pull race. I hope I’m wrong, but that’s my feeling.”

Aleix Espargaro’s prediction also comes from the times. We saw drivers who were very close (perhaps also due to the shorter track) and this, if in normal conditions leads to greater fighting between drivers, becomes counterproductive in the situation that may arise in the race: “We all go in a very similar way. If, driving alone, there are ten drivers within one or two tenths, how do you overtake a driver who is braking? You have to remove another two tenths. As the pressure and temperature of the tire rises, it will be complicated. So qualifying will be really key.”

“It’s very hot. It was 45 degrees on the asphalt, never seen before at Le Mans! In Malaysia there are 50. We found the limit of the front tire very quickly, there were many crashes on Friday. The front tire collapses and you can’t brake as late as you would like, so the limit is closer. However, hard rubber, which is the stiffest compound, is too soft. From a race perspective, the front is really at the limit,” complained the Aprilia rider.