The leader of the Aprilia team completed one of his best races of the year at the last Grand Prix in the Czech Republic. Qualified in eighth position, he moved up in the race from ninth place to sixth, when an incident in the pits during the change of machine imposed a penalty of falling three places.
He then went from eighth to seventh at the finish line. During Monday's tests, he set the tenth time, 1.1 behind leader Valentino Rossi. On this occasion, several improvements on the RS-GP gave satisfaction to Aleix as well as his teammate Sam Lowes.
For this weekend at the Red Bull Ring, according to Aleix Espargaro, “The Austrian track is strange, very different from all the others on the calendar. Last year I had a lot of fun here. It's a track where the engine counts a lot.
“With the progress we made recently during the Brno weekend, I have confidence. I'm really curious too because already last year the Aprilia RS-GP kept a good pace here and had one of its most competitive races of the season. »
For his teammate Sam Lowes, “ During the Brno tests we worked a lot for this Austrian race. The initial braking part is where I still struggle to get the most out of the RS-GP, but I think the testing on Monday helped us take a big step forward.
“The new Aprilia technical package introduced in the Czech Republic should help us. This is a drag-brake track where of course braking and acceleration are crucial. »
Photo © Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
