The Aprilia driver had been pointing to Motorland for some time as one of the scenarios in which he would go out on the attack the most, given that this circuit on the outskirts of Alcañiz is one of his favorites . However, that emotion turned against the Spaniard, as he acknowledged this Sunday, a day in which, despite everything, he halved the difference in points with respect to the World Cup leader : with five races to go In the end, Espargaró is 17 points behind the leader, Fabio Quartararo, and only seven behind Pecco Bagnaia, the second.
Until the two falls on Friday , the Catalan was convinced that he could fight to win in Aragon, something that was far from him given the pace set by Enea Bastianini, the winner, and Bagnaia, the second.
For all this, the balance could not be more than positive, even though, at the moment, the #41 looks a little behind its two rivals in the fight for the crown.
Espargaró started the fourth and was bottled up in the middle of the chasing group, in which he had a good time with both Jack Miller and Brad Binder. He got tangled up with the South African for most of the time, until, in the final stretch, already with the KTM’s tires badly touched, Aleix launched the attack that allowed him to climb onto the podium for the sixth time so far this year.
The regularity that he has followed so far is his best asset, although it will be necessary to see if it is enough to not detach himself from Quartararo and to resist the inertia with which Bagnaia arrives.
“Expectations were very high due to the results I had achieved here, and surely I started with too much ardor. That’s why I crashed twice. In the race I didn’t have the pace to follow Pecco and Enea,” Espargaró summed up, who obviously He thanked the abandonment of the current champion.
“In the second part of the race I took it easier knowing that Fabio was offside. This third place is a very good bonus. If I take into account how I started the weekend, I am happy with the podium”, added that of Aprilia, who had no qualms about highlighting the role of Ducati and its two most fit riders of the moment.
“What Pecco and Enea are doing is not easy at all. I would say they are riding at the best level of their lives. It is not just a matter of having the best bike, but it is a mixture. But we are close to them, and that means that both me and Aprilia are also doing a very good job, because I am only seven points behind Pecco”, continued the rider.
Aleix is aware of how difficult it would be for him to be crowned champion , even though belief is precisely what pushes him to keep trying with everything he has. “I never lose faith, I always believe. That’s what makes me proud of the season I’m doing. Now I just try to enjoy myself.”
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