Espargaro was considered by many to be the favorite for Sunday's race in Lusail, with eight-time world champion Marc Marquez praising the Aprilia rider for the incredible pace shown in the closing stages of the Sprint, in which he had managed tires.
But the 34-year-old's hopes of adding a fourth premier class win to his list of victories were dashed early in the Grand Prix when he crashed from second to ninth on the opening lap, finishing outside the leading group. In the middle of the pack, the Spaniard was unable to recover from his poor start and crossed the finish line in eighth place.
Speaking to the media, Espargaro described his lack of pace on Sunday as “embarrassing”, saying a tire problem may be the only reasonable explanation for his difficulties.
“I had some problems with the rear tire,” he explained. “Ever since the warm-up lap I felt that the rear tire was like ice. There was no traction. It was a nightmare for the whole race. I couldn't lean, I couldn't do anything.”
“Saturday night, when I went to sleep, I was 100% sure that I would win the race. That's how I felt. But the race was a nightmare. I was extremely slow, lapping in 1'53″ the entire race. Yesterday I lapped in 1'52″4 on the eighth lap of the Sprint, so it was embarrassing.”
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
He then added: “I'm happy, it's the first race. I've been very fast all weekend, I'm still sixth in the championship. It's a good start to the season, but unfortunately I missed a good opportunity. This race was a nightmare. I was very angry throughout the race.”
Espargaro's tire problems were particularly frustrating, as he had done a great job managing the Michelin tire during the Sprint, which allowed him to pass both Marquez and Bagnaia in the final four laps to take the last available spot on the podium.
Bagnaia, who was unable to resist Espargaro in the short race, then dominated the long race of the Lusail weekend.
Explaining what went wrong with his front tyre, the Aprilia rider said: “We have to try to understand with Michelin and with the team. In the past it was difficult, because it was a long race and Michelin could say that it wasn't You were fast.”
“On Saturday I was very fast. Even on the last lap I felt I could do 1'52″5 quite easily, whereas today I almost crashed in every corner. I was very lucky to finish in the top 10.”
He then added: “In practice I had some pre-heated tyres, but never in the race. So I'm not saying I had a bad tyre.”
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