The Barcelona Grand Prix was Aleix Espargaro's last in MotoGP, at least as a regular. It seems that one of the most experienced riders is leaving the competition. It's an opportunity to look back on his career but also on his legend. He wasn't like the others, and we're going to miss him.
From nowhere
Many of my readers know this, I have always appreciated Aleix Espargaro, in addition to considering him a very greatThe title of legend is probably too strong for him, but he is nonetheless, in my opinion, one of the best drivers of the 21st century.
Of course, he lacks the track record, and that's already a lot. Arriving at the end of 2004 in the 125cc category, he never took a single world champion crown, and even, was never in any race for the title. Despite this, his passage to the world championship is a pure example of resilience. Indeed, he had no success for several years. From the beginning, his career was chaotic, with a passage to 250cc in the middle of the 2006 season, then another step taken, again during the 2009 season, from 250cc to MotoGP. He rode with good and bad teams, but never gave up. His first half-season in MotoGP with Ducati Pramac did not bear fruit.. He went back down to Moto2 for the 2011 season, and, as we know, it is extremely rare that the destiny of these extraordinary men gives them a second chance. And yet.
Oh, that Aleix…
Thanks to the CRT regulations, he was able to return to MotoGP through the back door, at ART, with Aprilias that were much less powerful than the factory Yamahas and Hondas. For me, that's where he was strongest.. Not in 2022 or 2023, but from 2012 to 2014, when he competed, despite much inferior equipment, with the best riders in the category. Those years, in my opinion, were a big part of the legend of Aleix Espargaro. On a Forward-Yamaha in the cabbage, he managed to get to pole position at Assen, as well as finishing second in the 2014 Aragon Grand Prix, after a duel with Cal Crutchlow, an official Ducati. It was monstrous.
It was thanks to this talent for succeeding on difficult machines that Suzuki hired him for his big return to MotoGP in 2015. Accompanied by Maverick Vinales, he quickly distinguished himself. In Barcelona, on his circuit, he scored the first (and the only one!) for Suzuki on its 2015-2022 commitment. Victory did not come, however, but we must not forget that it was he who gave birth to this program.
Exactly like that of Aprilia, which was languishing at the back of the grid before Aleix arrived in 2017.. Here again, he made the Noale firm – with the engineers, of course – a major power on the MotoGP grid. Aleix, particularly gifted in development, was also recruited by the HRC to develop the RC213V, a sign of extreme confidence. History assures that it was a good choice.
A different driver
He was excellent at Suzuki too, and better than Vinales, although he never won a race on the GSX-RR.
Now, why was he so disliked by the public, especially in France? I never really understood this fashion, because although Johann Zarco and he do not get along, I do not see the point of defending only one of them so assertively in the settlement of their differences. But hey, I am not here to talk about the limits of fanaticism, at least not today. Anyway, Aleix Espargaro, quite vocal, a little arrogant but always smiling was different, because he said what he thought, whether people liked it or not.. Aleix was never understood, he was just an enthusiast who wanted to take full advantage of his World Cup experience, always accompanied by his loved ones.
A bit like his brother, I come to wonder how one can not appreciate the presence of phenomena of this kind in MotoGP, when our society becomes more and more smooth, without relief, as if made up. The pilots, from a very young age, learn to respond to the press, do not get angry anymore, even when they lose their national Grand Prix by a few thousandths (ask Collin Veijer). Therefore, profiles like those of the Espargaro brothers or Johann Zarco are good. And the departure of Aleix, in this sense, will leave a big void.
I haven't even mentioned his riding skills, his incredible vision, or his three MotoGP victories, each one as emotionally charged as the last. I still remember his triumph at Silverstone in 2023, for me the greatest of his successes.. His connection with Barcelona, too, his circuit, a stone's throw from his childhood home and this revenge in 2023, a year after losing second place by celebrating too early.
Aleix has been a big part of my life as a Grand Prix fan, and inevitably, I couldn't let him go without one last article.…but I'm sure that the character he is will still be talked about.
And you, what do you remember about Aleix Espargaro? Do you like his character? Tell me in the comments!
As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.
The end of an era. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
