Saturday started very well for the Aprilia rider, when he qualified directly for Q2 thanks to his tenth time achieved during the third free practice session. An RS-GP was thus guaranteed to start the Italian Grand Prix, at home for the manufacturer near Venice, from one of the first four rows.
After briefly finding himself in second position in FP3, Espargaro then lost a few places, but still managed to qualify among the top 10, ahead of top drivers like Johann zarco et Cal Crutchlow.
During the fourth free practice session, in racing configuration, he achieved the fifteenth performance, but only 0.6 behind leader Johann Zarco. This good pace combined with a good place on the grid could therefore be very promising for the Grand Prix.
Unfortunately, he fell at the start of Q2, fortunately not seriously, and had to return to his stand on a scooter to get on his second machine. There was too little time left to achieve a good performance and he had to settle for twelfth time.
According to Aleix Espargaro, “ I'm obviously disappointed with the way qualifying went because the RS-GP is doing well this weekend. This race is important for the team and I give 100% in every session.
“Unfortunately, I fell unexpectedly while following Maverick, so I wasn't able to take advantage of my good laps. It's a shame because I felt like I could fight for the first or second row, a place that would have been a fantastic gift for all the guys at Aprilia.
“In any case, with worn tires, our pace is really good. In the race, we will be able to have our say. »
Qualification results:
1- Maverick Vinales – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 1’46.575
2- Valentino Rossi – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 + 0.239
3- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP + 0.260
4- Michele Pirro – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP + 0.303
5- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V + 0.424
6- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V + 0.475
7- Jorge Lorenzo – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP + 0.577
8- Alvaro Bautista – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP + 0.592
9- Danilo Petrucci – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP + 0.691
10- Tito Rabat – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V + 0.707
11- Johann Zarco – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 + 0.744
12- Aleix Espargaro – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP + 0.900
13- Cal Crutchlow – LCR Honda – Honda RC213V
14- Hector Barbera – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP
15- Jonas Folger – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1
16- Andrea Iannone – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR
17- Loris Baz – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP15
18- Pol Espargaro – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16
19- Jack Miller – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V
20- Scott Redding – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP
21- Karel Abraham – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP15
22- Sam Lowes – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP
23- Bradley Smith – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16
24- Sylvain Guintoli – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR
Provisional ranking of the World Championship:
1 Maverick VIÑALES-Yamaha 85 points
2 Dani PEDROSA-Honda 68
3 Valentino ROSSI-Yamaha 62
4 Marc MARQUEZ-Honda 58
5 Johann ZARCO-Yamaha 55
6 Andrea DOVIZIOSO-Ducati 54
7 Cal CRUTCHLOW-Honda 40
8 Jorge LORENZO-Ducati 38
9 Jonas FOLGER-Yamaha 38
10 Jack MILLER-Honda 29
11 Danilo PETRUCCI-Ducati 26
12 Scott REDDING-Ducati 26
13 Loris BAZ-Ducati 19
14 Aleix ESPARGARO-Aprilia 17
15 Andrea IANNONE-Suzuki 15
16 Alvaro BAUTISTA-Ducati 14
17 Tito RABAT-Honda 13
18 Hector BARBERA-Ducati 12
19 Karel ABRAHAM-Ducati 9
20 Alex RINS-Suzuki 7
21 Pol ESPARGARO-KTM 6
22 Bradley SMITH-KTM 6
23 Sam LOWES-Aprilia 2
24 Sylvain GUINTOLI-Suzuki 1
Photos © Aprilia
