Aleix Espargaró had conflicting feelings as he crossed the finish line of the Aragon Grand Prix aboard his Aprilia. He thus recognizes that he is both angry and happy, but as he is, in all cases, inhabited by the conviction of a duty accomplished, it is satisfaction that dominates. He was certainly not able to repeat the historic podium for his employer at Silverstone, but the way in which he took this fourth place fills him with ambition for the end of the championship...
Aleix Espargaró finished fourth Aragon Grand Prix. This time, he could not be a threat to the leading trio, as had been the case at Silverstone. But he still kept the official Ducati of Jack Miller behind him. And above all, he rode at a pace from the start to the end of the event which completely reassured him about the potential of his Aprilia : " the race was very good. Maybe I'm happier than at Silverstone in terms of performance he says. " It was a very, very fast race here. Asphalt temperatures were almost 50 degrees and we averaged 1'48s each lap. It was one of the most demanding races I have ever done ».
« My Michelin guy told me to try to be gentle with the tire at first and not push too hard. My start wasn't so good and when I saw that Marc and Pecco were pushing hard, I told myself that I also have to follow. So I changed the mapping and started pushing. Every time I saw the lap time, I said to myself: 'The tire's gonna blow, it can't hold on' », declared the spearhead ofAprilia with smile. “ I was a little worried in the first half of the race ».
« I tried to treat the tire well. In the end I couldn't keep up with Joan because he had better traction than me, but I was much stronger on the brakes. So I really collapsed the front tire, I couldn't keep up for the last five laps ", admitted the eldest I will espargaro. " I checked the pit board and saw I had four seconds on Miller, so I decided to take the points ».
Considering the service, Aleix Espargaró convinced himself of a new ambition championnat : " we are very close to sixth place in the general classification. I said at the start of the season that my biggest goal and dream for the season was of course to get on the podium, but finishing in the top six of the championship is even more important. So we are close to my goal ", underlined the factory driver Aprilia, in fact seventh provisional ranking.
Aleix Espargaró has a dream with Aprilia
Espargaró is convinced: the 3rd and 4th places at Silverstone and Aragon are not exceptional results, but correspond to the level of theAprilia. " We must continue to fight for the podium in every race. It also means finishing fifth or sixth. And if you have a really bad day, you can also finish seventh, as we saw with the world championship leader or last weekend with Pecco »
« The most important thing is to be at the front every weekend », affirmed the Spaniard. “ Apart from fourth place in the race, I was at the front in every session. We still have room to improve and we also had some problems this morning. The most important thing is not just speed, but stability throughout the year so you don't have any problems. Winning and being on the podium is very important for me, but the most important thing is consistency, because one day I want to finish in the top 3 of the world championship with Aprilia ". We don't stop anymore Aleix Espargaró...
MotoGP Aragon J3: ranking
Credit ranking motogp.com
