The Aprilia rider is in the best moment of his sporting career and this weekend he has amply demonstrated it by fighting against the Ducati ‘army’ at the Italian MotoGP Grand Prix. Far from using an arrogant tone, Aleix Espargaró is immersed in an exercise in self-motivation that led him to ensure that “I am going to win this race”.
Before, however, he will have to deal with a complicated starting grid, in which he will be placed 7th, with many young and inexperienced riders ahead of him who may suffer from an excess of desire in the first meters after the lights go out, a situation that left nothing satisfied to Granollers.
The irruption of the rain in the middle of FP4, just before the start of the qualifying sessions, completely changed the panorama and the rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio, arriving from Q1, managed to score the first pole position in the premier class (second of his life) , ahead of another rookie, Marco Bezzecchi, completing the front row another youngster, Luca Marini. Johann Zarco and Pecco Bagnaia completed the Ducati quintet topping the grid, with Fabio Quartararo sixth and Alex opening the third row.
“MotoGP is wild, anything can happen and tomorrow I’m going to win. It’s a very important race and I’m going to give it my all. There are times when you don’t have to think about the championship and this is one of those weekends. to use my head, but there are days you have to take advantage of them and I know how important this race is for Aprilia and I’m going to try to take advantage of it”, he assessed.
For Noale’s house, without a doubt, managing to beat that entire Ducati battalion would be a historic result, especially in the case of Mugello, the circuit where they develop their prototypes the most.
“Ducati has done its job very well, they have a bike that is surely the best for three years and they have done a very good job with the youngsters. Yesterday (Friday) Jorge Lorenzo said on television that Ducati has only lacked a Casey Stoner or a Marc Márquez, and he’s right, now they would have five titles, surely.”
Without big stars, but the brand from Bologna took over the first two rows, practically.
“With the conditions that prevailed this Saturday, the youngsters have played a lot and it has turned out well for them, and that makes tomorrow going to be very difficult.”
Precisely a front row with two rookies and a youngster, all Italians, with no experience in that position, from satellite teams and eager to do well at home. Without a doubt, an explosive cocktail.
“That’s why I was very angry after Q2, because I know how much this grid makes my life difficult, but it was a very dangerous situation (wet ground with dry tyres), and the young drivers are not ignorant, but they are more unaware of danger and limits. They have done very well and have been very brave, but let’s see how far they can hold out tomorrow, it will be very difficult”.
In addition to having to start seventh, Aprilia did not quite hit the key with the clutch at the time of the stationary start.
“We have improved a bit but we are not at Ducati’s level on that issue and, furthermore, here the first corner is very far away and with the power of these bikes it is going to complicate things a lot for us”.
Finally, Aleix valued the news that Marc Márquez is going to undergo surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
“It is a situation that is very sad, very sad, this time more than ever. Marc is, of the entire grid, the psychologically toughest driver. Not collapsing in a press conference like today tells you how tough he is mentally, but there are limits. And the truth is that what he is going through is very hard, that before the home grand prix he decides not to race to go to the United States for surgery gives you an idea of how he should be. I can only send him all my strength and hope that he returns as soon as possible”, settled the Catalan.
