While Aleix and teammate Sam Lowes were both in the top ten at the Misano Grand Prix, a double crash forced both Aprilia riders to retire. The desire for redemption will therefore be very present this weekend for the fourteenth Grand Prix of the year contested at the “Ciudad del Motor de Aragón”.
The Aprilia team is relatively confident for this race because the characteristics of the RS-GP correspond quite well to the Spanish track. According to its technicians, to obtain a good result on this circuit you need to find the best settings for the front axle. It is indeed essential to make the front tire work in the best possible conditions over the entire distance of the race. The shapes of the turns and the difference in altitude somewhat complicate the technicians' task.
Last year in Aragon, both Aprilia riders managed to make it into the top 10, with Alvaro Bautista in ninth position and Stefan Bradl in tenth place.
On Aleix Espargaro's side, Aragon is the most favorable circuit, the one where he obtained his best result since 2012 that he has been racing in MotoGP, with second place in 2014 on a Yamaha from the Forward Racing team, behind Jorge Lorenzo on Yamaha and ahead of Cal Crutchlow on Ducati.
To Alex Espargaro, « Unfortunately, recently we have not been fighting for the places we deserve and that is a shame, considering the good work we are doing. We need a trouble-free weekend and Aragon could be just the ticket. »
According to the Director of Aprilia Racing Romano Albesiano, who are " We prepared for this race with a test day in Valencia which gave us some interesting indications in terms of tuning.
“It may seem repetitive, but in Aragón we have everything we need to aim for a good result. The RS-GP is no longer a surprise, but we must clearly justify our progress during the race. »
For the team manager Fausto Gresini, « On paper, the Spanish track is well suited to the characteristics of the Aprilia. The first positive aspect is that there should be no rain this weekend, so that's one less variable to consider.
“Our goal is to collect points with both drivers, a goal we missed in the last two races. We are aware of our potential and our competitiveness. All that's missing is the last step. »
MotoGP Championship ranking after #SanMarinoGP:
| 1 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 199 | |
| 2 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 199 | 0 |
| 3 | Maverick VINALES | Yamaha | 183 | -16 |
| 4 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 157 | -42 |
| 5 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | 150 | -49 |
| 6 | johann zarco | Yamaha | 110 | -89 |
| 7 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 95 | -104 |
| 8 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 92 | -107 |
| 9 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 90 | -109 |
| 10 | Jonas Folger | Yamaha | 84 | -115 |
| 11 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | 62 | -137 |
| 12 | Scott REDDING | Ducati | 54 | -145 |
| 13 | Jack Miller | Honda | 53 | -146 |
| 14 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 43 | -156 |
| 15 | Loris BAZ | Ducati | 39 | -160 |
| 16 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 33 | -166 |
| 17 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | 31 | -168 |
| 18 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 28 | -171 |
| 19 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 27 | -172 |
| 20 | Tito RABAT | Honda | 27 | -172 |
| 21 | Hector BARBERA | Ducati | 23 | -176 |
| 22 | Michael PIRRO | Ducati | 18 | -181 |
| 23 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | 14 | -185 |
| 24 | Mika Kallio | KTM | 6 | -193 |
| 25 | Sam LOWES | Aprilia | 2 | -197 |
| 26 | Sylvain GUINTOLI | Suzuki | 1 | -198 |
Photos © Aprilia
