MotoGP Catalonia Barcelona J2 Debriefing Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia/1): “Ve will be a very difficult race” (Full)

This Saturday, June 4, 2022, Aleix Espargaró answered questions from journalists from the Catalunya-Barcelona circuit at the end of the second day of the Catalan MotoGP Grand Prix.

Always present at the forefront since the start of the weekend, and in line with his three consecutive podiums in the last three races, the Catalan is the favorite but warns that he has no margin and that it will be a race difficult.

As usual, we report here the words of Aleix I will espargaro without any formatting, even if it is translated from English.

Aleix, lap record and pole position in front of your home fans, but you had to give everything to get the latter…
Aleix I will espargaro : " Yes, it was a very, very difficult qualification. I would even say that it was the most difficult qualifying lap I have done this season, because the track was extremely slippery. I wasn't sure if I could do better than the time I set this morning in FP3, because this morning it came quite easily for me, I only needed a soft rear tire . But in qualifying, it was very, very slippery. I didn't really enjoy this lap because I lost the front several times and also suffered a lot of high sides. I really rode at the limit of the bike but ultimately I was extremely fast in the last two corners. So I'm very happy to have finished and when I arrived in the straight I took a breath, like “you finished without falling”, which was already a victory. Then I saw P1, and I'm very happy because it's the home Grand Prix. So far the weekend has gone very well. »

Have you made your choice regarding tires?
« Normally, in 90% of races, the fastest driver wins. But here in Barcelona it's not so easy. Here it is not the question that you are fast. I can go very, very fast, but I also have to manage the rear tire. It's a bit frustrating, because at times you can't do anything: there's nothing you can do, just accelerate and wait for the bike to move forward, because the traction control slows you down a lot. In FP4, I tried a different electronic configuration to find out if I was losing a lot of time or not while preserving the tire. We're pretty happy with the results and the pace I did was pretty solid. So tomorrow it will be a compromise to find the narrow zone between speed and rear tire wear. »

The degradation of the rear tire will be taken into account, but will we have to be smart about the front tire?
« My front tire is very good. I brake very very late and I have no problem with the front tire. I hope I won't have any tomorrow (laughs). It's not just a matter of being smart. Of course you have to be smart, you have to know the bike, you have to have experience, but at the same time, Fabio, Pecco and myself, we all want to win! So you have to find this compromise, this extremely fine line to ride where the limit is, and (not) where you destroy the tire. Where you draw that fine line will depend on who wins. »

Since the start of the weekend, you have been the center of attention: Is it pleasant and does it prevent you from concentrating on your work?
« I think it's a strange situation, new for me, because it's the Catalan Grand Prix. Valentino is no longer there although he was the hero of every weekend, whatever the country, and Marc is not there either, so I am the only Spanish Catalan who beats me in front of this weekend and who beats me also for the championship. So it's normal. Honestly, I have a lot more stress this year than in the past and I arrive home on Sunday evening a lot more tired, but that's good, I'm enjoying it a lot and the bike is fantastic this year. I really enjoy fighting with them, because they are very fast drivers, so it's up to you to constantly reinvent yourself. I don't really worry about Catalonia, the pressure: it's my home Grand Prix, there are family, friends, so I'm having fun and doing my best. »

After practice and qualifying you were in the same position in Argentina. Does this make this weekend easier for you?
« For me, it's different from Argentina. In Argentina, it's not that it was easy because it's never easy to win in MotoGP, but I had a certain margin over my opponents: I was a little faster. Here, I suffer like them because on this circuit with low grip it is very difficult to go fast. As I said before, it's not just about going fast: in FP4, with the medium tire, I could have done 39.5, but then you destroy the tire and you're done for the next lap. So you have to understand where the limit is, understand what the wear and tear is, and this is not easy. In Argentina, we could attack as we wanted and the tire was not a problem. Here, this is not the case. Starting from pole position will help tomorrow, but it will be a very difficult race. »