Aleix Espargaró is one of the most vocal drivers about an Austin track so degraded that it is at the limit of passable. For the Aprilia official, this milestone was also crossed and he made it clear that he did not wish to do this Grand Prix of the Americas race in these conditions. And yet, he will indeed do it as the sole representative of the Noale brand and therefore of the Piaggio group on American soil. A political particularity with economic imperatives which undoubtedly weighed in this resignation. But the eldest Espargaró swears that he will take revenge in 2022 if nothing is done in Texas…
We will not find many drivers on the starting grid of the Grand Prix of the Americas who will declare themselves in love with the Austin route as it currently stands. However, we can detect in this group an element whose detestation is greater than the whole in the person ofAleix Espargaró. Not only is the Spaniard outraged by the conditions offered by this track, but he also does not adapt to them, falling there more often than not. His 19th place at the start is therefore not surprising given the context.
« It's frustrating. I have no explanation for what is happening now ", said Aleix Espargaró. The pilot Aprilia had his first crash on Friday in FP2, followed by three more crashes in the third and fourth free practice and in Q1 on Saturday: “ the bumps are giving me big problems and I don't know how to deal with them. All season I fell four times and now I went to the ground four times this weekend ", declared the pilot of 32 years helpless.
After his premature fall in Q1, I will espargaro was only able to look for times in the last minutes of qualifying. However, his competitors obstructed him during this project, and the Spaniard got annoyed with clear gestures at the end of the game: “ after my fall in Q1, I pushed. Other drivers like Alex Márquez, however, rode on the ideal line and ruined my lap. But he already apologized to me, the matter is now settled », Confirmed Aleix afterwards. After finishing 13th on the grid at Le Mans, the Spaniard failed to enter Q2 for the second time this season. His lap time of 2'04.419 min was just enough for starting position 19. For comparison, the pole lap of Pecco Bagnaia was 2:02.781 on the official Ducati.
Aleix Espargaró: “ if nothing changes on the route, I will not come back here next year«
However, tenth place in the fourth free practice session, which is known to be used by drivers as a racing simulation, gave the driver some hope Aprilia : " we are not as bad as the position suggests “, said Aleix. “ The problem is security. Cause every time I try to go to the limit I fall. Bumps affect our motorcycle a lot. It's really weird because it's the same bike as in Misano, where I was really competitive. But I don't have the speed anymore ».
Most MotoGP riders had already complained on Friday about the miserable state of the "Circuit of the Americas", I will espargaro even spoke out in favor of canceling the race: “ With the exception of a few drivers who like bumps, all the drivers in the Safety Commission were very angry. This route is not safe and it is not acceptable to ride here. But we have to adapt for this year now. But if nothing changes on the route, I won't come back here next year ". See you in 2022.
MotoGP Austin J2: Qualifying
Credit classification motogp.com
