And if this 2018 season had a taste of revenge for Aprilia ? Last year, the manufacturer from Noale, despite its experience, had to resolve to see the rival and beginner KTM grill it in the championship reserved for manufacturers. This time, and before the Valencia final, the Italians from the Piaggio group can return the favor to the Austrians from Mattighofen. Thanks to a good raceAleix Espargaro in Sepang, the men of the RS-GP in fact came back to within two points of those of the RC16…
And we will recall in passing that the spearhead of the orange motorcycle is the younger brother of the one who works to not leave his employers in last place of the six brands involved in MotoGP. Between Pol and Aleix, it is as much a family affair as it is a matter of prestige, and this Malaysian Grand Prix was a new episode in this unusual struggle.
Aleix Espargaró comments on his Malaysian Sunday: “ it was without a doubt one of the three most physically demanding races of my entire career. I started very badly and lost a lot of positions in the first corner before having to regain them. After a few overtakes, there was a gap to my brother Pol. I managed to fill it and overtake it after a good fight. At that point, I was back in the top 10, but there were only a few laps left. The result is positive, but we know and want to do more. We must therefore continue to work and fully prepare for our 2019 ».
Starting twelfth, the Spaniard finished eleventh. His teammate Scott Redding crossed the Malaysian finish line nineteenth and last. In 2019, it will be replaced by Andrea Iannone.
Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang, MotoGP J.3: classification.
| 1 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 40'32.372 |
| 2 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | +1.898 |
| 3 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | +2.474 |
| 4 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | +4.667 |
| 5 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | +6.190 |
| 6 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | +11.248 |
| 7 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | +15.611 |
| 8 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | +19.009 |
| 9 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | +22.921 |
| 10 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | Yamaha | +26.919 |
| 11 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | +29.503 |
| 12 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Honda | +30.933 |
| 13 | 6 | Stefan BRADL | Honda | +35.322 |
| 14 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | +37.912 |
| 15 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | +39.675 |
| 16 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | Honda | +41.820 |
| 17 | 10 | Xavier SIMEON | Ducati | +43.978 |
| 18 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | +58.288 |
| 19 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Aprilia | + 1'00.191 |
| Not Classified | ||||
| 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | 4 lapses | |
| 51 | Michael PIRRO | Ducati | 15 lapses | |
| 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 17 lapses | |
| Not Finished 1st Lap | ||||
| 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 0 laps |
