Aleix Espargaró was not at the party on this second day in Japan. Plagued by mechanical problems, he was forced to retire during the Sprint after qualifying in ninth position. Terrible. It's as if the demons of the past are catching up with Aprilia, which continues to experience difficult end-of-season seasons. Remember; At a crucial moment in the championship, a human error by the mechanics led to Aleix's fall in 2022 right here in Motegi. Enough is enough. The Noale firm must correct these reliability problems as quickly as possible.
Very sad on arrival, Aleix couldn't do anything. « The problems of the past have returned. I don't know what happened. Already in qualifying at Buddh, we had a big problem. Today isIt was an engine failure when I was fifth" as we could read on the always very well informed GP One. Since 2017 and his rise to the rank of Aprilia factory rider, big brother Espargaró has not been polished and has often had to stop near the marshals while his little comrades continued the infernal round.
Japan edition looking good! Friday done! pic.twitter.com/dc1ER1u6UR
— Aleix Espargaro (@AleixEspargaro) September 29, 2023
However, the breakdown had not yet been identified by the main person concerned when his comments were collected. “When it's hot like in India, we suffer, but that's not the case here. I think it's inherent to the hardware. We always go backwards in the second half of the season, it's no longer a question of bad luck. We must intervene » he confided, alert. It's a shame, because he had reason to congratulate himself after having gained a few places at the start. “I wasn't quite in the lead in qualifying, but in the Sprint it was much better. I am proud of myself, and for tomorrow, I have confidence. However, giving up prematurely cost me a lot of useful information » he asserted. Considering the arrows ahead, it will be difficult for him to play better than the top 5, but he has already proven, on numerous occasions, his ability to create surprise, to bring out a performance from beyond the grave. To be continued.
Do you think he is capable of doing the Silverstone trick for us again? Tell us in the comments!
2023 MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix Sprint Result:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
