Jerez.- Sportingly speaking, the Márquez and the Espargaró have been competing for many years, but never with the tension that their relationship has acquired in this 2022 World Cup. In the last test, in Portugal, Aleix, the oldest of the Espargaró, had it with Alex, the youngest of the Márquez, whom he accused of hindering him and of “bumping into him” on several occasions, making him waste a lot of time.
Five days later, the target of Aleix’s anger was Marc, the eldest of the Márquez, for waiting for him in the last minutes of the second free practice session, to stick to his wheel and improve his time. The Aprilia rider finished 13th and the Honda rider 19th, both outside the group that provisionally has direct access to the second qualifying screen.
It is not the first time that Aleix Espargaró has publicly complained about Marc Márquez’s strategy, which has become habitual for the boy from Cervera (Lleida) after suffering the injury to his right arm that kept him out for nine months.
However, the one from Granollers (Barcelona) had never been as raw and direct with his rival as this Friday. Already on the track, once the checkered flag fell, the #41 arm-wrestled in the air, complaining clearly. Shortly after, before the journalists, he verbalized that anger.
“Marc [Márquez] has been doing the same thing for a year: he stays in the middle of the track waiting, waiting and waiting. It’s not normal. Today he almost knocked over Pol [Espargaró], [Remy] Gardner almost fell, he almost fell [ Miguel] Oliveira. It has waited almost a minute. I don’t understand it, it’s a shame, “said Aleix, who was incredulous at the version of #93 that he met again.
“The only explanation is that he lacks confidence. What is Marc Márquez doing waiting for an Aprilia in Jerez? The day he crashed here (2020) it seemed that he was racing against Moto2,” added the Spaniard, who asks for an immediate reaction from Race Direction, with this type of practices that, in the lower categories, especially Moto3, are subject to severe penalties.
“I don’t blame him; he can do whatever he wants. Who I blame is Race Direction, which fills its mouth with penalties for Moto3 riders, and MotoGP is worse. Does anyone see normal that a nine-time champion in the world is left standing on the track waiting for the wheel of an Aprilia?” Espargaró stressed.
Márquez , for his part, invited him to complain less and enjoy the sweet moment he is going through and that leads others to look for his wheel.
“If this year Aleix goes fast, and we look for him, he should be proud, because the opposite usually happens. But Aleix [Espargaró] complains about everything. I don’t want to give him more hype. When I was in that position and they looked for me the wheel, I was proud”, concluded the Honda rider.
