Aleix Espargaró continued his excellent momentum in Spain, scoring a third podium in four races, which now allows him to move into second place in the championship, just seven points behind leader Fabio Quartararo.
The Aprilia rider, who is increasingly looking like a title contender this season, answered questions from journalists during the post-race press conference, and we transcribe his entire remarks here.
Aleix, you have just scored your third podium in the last four GPs. You really had to fight hard to get this one, including beating Marc Márquez and Jack Miller. But it's a great new result for you and Aprilia.
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It was quite a frustrating race, because I have to say the thing we really need to improve on is the clutch. My starts have been a real disaster this season, and this time again I lost a lot of positions, even if I quickly overtook Takaaki Nakagami it was subsequently almost impossible for me to get back past Marc and Jack. This irritated me because I had a much better pace than them, but the fact is that they managed to brake really late, while for my part I had more difficulty storing up as much speed in the corners. I knew full well that I had to overtake them quickly because in the meantime, Fabio Quartararo and Pecco Bagnaia were racing along, but it was simply impossible to overtake. If I had tried I would have definitely contacted Marc. So I resolved not to be able to fight for victory, but simply to remain in ambush. Throughout these forty minutes of racing, Marc and Jack were taking wider and wider paths, so I was expecting a mistake on their part at one point or another, and when I took the gaining on Jack in the last corner I saw Marc actually go wide, and I was able to kill two birds with one stone five laps from the end. In the next three laps I was able to ride half a second faster and was in the low 1'38 window, which was ultimately a good pace. I don't know if I would have had the pace to fight for victory in the end, but I would have definitely finished much closer to them [Fabio and Pecco]. But things are what they are, and I'm still very happy with this third place here in Jerez. »
You now occupy second place in the championship, just seven points behind leader Fabio Quartararo. We will approach the seventh round of the season with the French GP in two weeks, and finish with the first third of the championship. Given your position in the general classification, can we finally say that you and Aprilia represent legitimate contenders for the title this year?
« I think so. Fabio is the reigning champion and he is currently calling the shots. I think I shouldn't miss this train [the possibility of aiming for the world title], because it will probably only pass once in my case. I know it's going to be difficult, but I'm going to do my best. When I see Pecco and Fabio's pace today, I tell myself that I'm still missing a little something, both on the bike and in myself. But consistency is going to be key this season, and I know my consistency is good, so I'm happy with that and I'll try to put pressure on Fabio until the end. »
It was your national GP, we imagine that the last turns, in particular turns 9 and 10 located in the stadium, were incredible in terms of atmosphere for you…
« It was crazy! There was a lot of emotion on the podium, more than in Argentina I would say, because I have been coming to race here since I was a kid, and until then I had never finished on the podium. So the fact of achieving such a result today at the age of 32, and fighting for the championship with the best drivers in the world, is like a dream. »
Thanks to your result today, Aprilia has just lost its technical concessions for next season. Is this going to affect you in any way this season?
« I think that if we are in the sixth race with only seven points behind the championship leader, it is because the bike is working well. It is therefore normal to lose these concessions and to have to fight with the same weapons as our adversaries. I know that in Noale it will cause a little stress, but I think it will not fundamentally change things. My life is going to be a little easier, and I'm not that worried. The most difficult thing was to reach the level we are at today.
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Without Marc Márquez's mistake, did you have a plan to try to overtake him?
« My pace was better than that of Marc and Jack, but I was unable to overtake them. Every time they opened the door a little I put my wheel on to put pressure on them. I was sure that over forty minutes they were bound to make one or two mistakes. But if I had finished in fifth position it would still have been a good result: I would have scored good points for the championship, but I really thought that an opportunity was going to present itself, and that's what happened. happened. As luck would have it, Marc made his mistake just as I was overtaking Jack. As soon as I overtook them I was able to string together laps in the low 1'38 range, which ultimately represented a good pace and I was actually able to take two seconds from them in just four laps. But the fact is that we need to improve the clutch, because my starts are really disastrous this season. Fortunately for me, I manage to start from the first or second row most of the time in most events, so I manage to limit the damage, but my starts have been really disastrous this season so far. »
We know that Jack Miller is not the best finisher on the field, and that Marc Márquez is still suffering from his shoulder. Do you think you made the difference in the last laps thanks to your better physical condition?
« I definitely think I was faster than them, but I just couldn't find the opening. It's racing: you have to be able to be fast, but also know how to overtake, and I was bad at that today. When I managed to pass them, I was able to gain half a second in the last laps. But you never run alone, and therefore you have to be able to overtake. »
Did the fact of staying behind Marc and Jack for a long time also handicap you to the extent that you perhaps suffered from overheating and a build-up of pressure in your front tire?
« When I followed them, they were running in the high window of 1'38, and at that time I was suffering from a lot of chattering, especially in the left turns. I knew it was due to the front tire, but I had to fight for the podium and therefore I couldn't let them escape. So it was a very difficult situation for me to deal with. As soon as I got the better of them, I no longer had any chatter, the bike turned perfectly in the corners, and it had much more grip. But it's like this: we all know that when we stay too long behind another rider the temperature and pressure of the front tire increases and that makes everything more difficult. That's why I say that Fabio and Pecco were very strong at the front, but I really think that if I had gotten a better start I might have been able to follow them. »
