With ups and downs since the start of the season, Aleix arrives home in Catalonia in seventeenth place in the provisional ranking, with his factory bike, behind Loris Baz (Desmosedici GP15) and Tito Rabat. The Aprilia's real potential is not yet precisely defined, with only half of the races taking the checkered flag.
With three retirements in six races, Espargaro obviously cannot be among the leaders. His teammate Sam Lowes finished in the points only once (fourteenth and penultimate in France). In the manufacturers' standings, Aprilia with 19 points is ahead of KTM (8 points) and is not that far from fourth place Suzuki (28). Of the 12 permanent teams present in the MotoGP World Championship, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini is penultimate ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Only a series of circumstances prevented, according to Aprilia, Aleix Espargaró to score points at Le Mans and Mugello, but in both races the Italian V4 had shown “an excellent level of performance”.
Sam Lowes who, at Mugello, confirmed the improvements he had already shown in the French race with an impressive race pace, is sure to be able to benefit from the experience gained during the tests carried out here on the Spanish circuit ago a few weeks. Increasingly comfortable on his RS-GP, the English rookie intends to continue his trend of constant growth.
According to Aleix Espargaro, “ After Mugello, I am motivated. I can't wait to get on the RS-GP for my home race. The early departure ended my weekend without the result we deserved and it's a shame. I like the Barcelona circuit and the test we did here went well. We will continue with the data we have to aim for a good place in the top-8. »
For Sam Lowes, “ We had a good test here in Barcelona a little while ago and I can't wait to get back there. In terms of confidence in the saddle, Mugello was a positive weekend. I'm happy to get back to racing right away. I want to enjoy this good time.
According to Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Competition Director, “ Barcelona is a track that generally doesn't have a lot of grip, which, combined with the bumps, is the biggest difficulty we will face this weekend.
“In any case, we expect to have a good race. The tests carried out here have allowed us to make tangible progress in terms of chassis architecture and engine braking management. We have already received good feedback from these changes at Mugello. »
For the team manager Fausto Gresini, « Barcelona, where we did a test after Le Mans, is a very important race for us. We are excited about redemption on a track where our bike can express its full potential.
“It is certainly important for Aleix to do well for his weekend following the disappointment at Mugello, where in any case he demonstrated that he is fast. I expect to see a step forward from Sam. He has shown encouraging signs, but he still needs to improve. »
Photos © Aprilia
