With two podiums in the last three races, Aleix Espargaró is having the best season of his life in MotoGP. The driver from Granollers appears at the front of the qualifying sheet, third in the championship with 66 points in his locker.
“I feel good. I’m enjoying this season,” the Aprilia rider introduced at the press conference for the Spanish Grand Prix. “Already from the pre-season I felt quite good with the bike, and it was not easy to imagine that I would be able to reach this level.”
Despite the fact that Espargaró admits that “he has to improve in some areas”, in general terms the Spaniard feels “satisfied and happy with the bike”.
“I hope that with this year’s bike, which has improved a lot, we can be more competitive,” he added at the press conference attended by Motorsport.com.
In the past, the Jerez FP3 had 15 riders in just three tenths, so concentration will be essential this weekend.
“We will have to be in the top 10 of the first free,” Aleix assured. “Each session will matter. We will try to be up from the first lap.”
“The last season here we were very good, we were quite close to the podium and victory.”
Although Aleix Espargaró is still not conceived as a solid contender for the title, his RS-GP looks very strong against the 23 remaining prototypes. For the time being, the Granollers rider prefers to “enjoy the process”.
“Neither Aprilia nor I have been fighting for the championship in the past,” argued the rider from Granollers. “We have to continue working and giving our best.”
“It makes me very happy to reach this level with Aprilia, I would love to do two more years in MotoGP and in Aprilia, but I don’t have a clear offer on the table either. It doesn’t depend on me, but on the direction in which the market moves “, Espargaró confessed about the unknown of his renewal.
Once the race is over, MotoGP will play a day of tests on the Andalusian track. Following the new changes implemented by Dorna and IRTA, the championship will change its test format.
“We have a lot of things to try and I don’t know if we’ll have time”, added Aleix Espargaró. “We have Lorenzo Savadori and I hope we will be able to prove things on Monday.”
“The important thing is not to lose focus, because the bike is quite good even though there is room for improvement.”
The championship will change from three to two one-day test sessions taking place on the Monday or Tuesday after each grand prix, with a new format where dates and circuits will be set by the teams, Dorna and IRTA.
“We will have to adapt”, declared Espargaró on this matter. “If you have fewer days you have to try to work smarter and be smarter in choosing priorities.”
“In the race the differences with respect to the tests are enlarged, so the important thing is to stick to what is essential, prepare the bike for 25-27 laps and not force it, because that’s when you can make a difference,” he assured.
“This year things have changed a lot for us and also for the rest of the drivers. The level is very high and we already know how difficult this category is”, he concluded.
