The pre-season also gave us to understand that Aprilia had grown a lot, but Saturday in Lusail perhaps gave a clearer picture, with Aleix Espargaro managing to place the RS-GP24 on the front row and then on the top step. bottom of the Sprint podium. A perhaps unexpected result, because after the tests everyone expected Ducati to dominate.
The winner was actually a Desmosedici GP with Jorge Martin, but behind him Brad Binder's KTM and the Noale bike completed the podium, which seems to have aerodynamics as its flagship. As the Granollers rider himself confirmed when he presented himself smiling to the microphones of Sky Sport MotoGP.
“The bike is heavier, it's much more stable and allows you to go very fast especially in the fast corners: in the last sector it was impressive. It's more physical and more difficult to ride, but it gives you a lot of stability and allows you to do beautiful things. things like today. But it's always difficult to review when you lose position on the straight, because Bagnaia and Marquez are riders who break away very late, but today the bike was a spectacle. They really did a great job this winter in Noale and they are very happy,” said Aleix.
The new aerodynamic package, on which the F1-style diffuser under the tail stands out, is designed to give more aerodynamic load to the rear and seems to work above all in managing the tyre, which was the weapon with which Espargaro emerged in the second part of the Sprint, overtaking the two Ducatis of Bagnaia and Marquez.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“The problem is that at the beginning the others were driving as if it were a time attack. I tried too, but we still lack a bit of power and when there is fresh rubber we still suffer a little. They overtook me on the straight. But after five or six laps, when the tires started to wear off, mine continued to work as if they were new, so I was able to recover a couple of positions and close the gap. Too bad then came the checkered flag ( laughs)”.
When asked if this excellent tire management could be the key to trying to make a splash in tomorrow's long race, the Catalan did not hide: “I see it that way too. It's not that they passed me and I woken up. It's just that Binder manages to make very closed lines with the new tires and the KTM is impressive because it has a lot of torque at the bottom, so it's very difficult to keep up with him. But it seems that the Aprilia manages the rear tire well on this track, so tomorrow we can do well in the long race.”
His bond with Aprilia now seems to be something truly indissoluble: “There is no Aprilia without Espargaro and there is no Espargaro without Aprilia. We are a very strong combination and we have proven it. I feel fitter than ever , but Qatar has never been a favorable track for us: we were competitive, but it's the first time we've been on the podium in eight years, so it means the bike is working. But I think it will be a fun season for us.”
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