MotoGP Japan J3: Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia/16) suddenly found himself in the economy class!

It is a disappointed Aleix Espargaró, frustrated with a hint of anger who takes stock of a Japanese Grand Prix where he claims to have missed the great opportunity to turn this season in his favor. But unlike Pecco Bagnaia who can only blame himself, the Aprilia rider is paralyzed by the helplessness of having been struck by technical lightning. More precisely, it was an error in the configuration of his electronics by his team which rendered him powerless. Livid, he explains his mishap like this…

All the hopes ofAleix Espargaró collapsed from the grid round where an unpleasant surprise awaited him. Which ? He explains… " They made a mistake and did not remove the fuel economy map which does not allow the engine to exceed 5 rpm » reveals the Spaniard. “We call it 'Eco-Map', with which we save fuel ". Very disappointed, he adds: “ the bike doesn't go faster than 100 km/h with it. I tried everything during the warm-up lap, but it didn't work. So I swapped the bike in the pits. But the second one had the soft rear tire and I couldn't ride with that tire, I knew that from the start".

The official Aprilia nevertheless chased the field out of the pit lane, but was ultimately not rewarded with points, falling to 16th place. “ I was also very nervous and made a lot of mistakes », he admits. “ So I just decided to stay on the track to wait for a red flag or something, but that didn't happen.".

The 33-year-old pilore is looking for an explanation for this blunder. Jet lag and accumulated fatigue? “ No, I do not think so » he replies. “ I'm tired too, everyone is tired, but it's our job. This is an error that can happen anywhere. It's a big mistake, a huge mistake, something like this shouldn't happen, but we're human. We are also a team and I will try to win in Thailand” adds the one who believed in Catalonia that the race was over even though there was still one lap to go...

Aleix Espargaró: “ I don't care about the championship, I just want to win in Thailand »

The disappointment is all the more cruel as he thinks he had what it took to win this Sunday at Motegi: “ victory was possible, 100%. It was the first weekend where I didn't ride the second bike at all, because of the weather, of course. I hate soft tires, I've never used them in the last three races, I even suffer from them in qualifying. And yet I rode 1'46.0 min for several laps. I am convinced that with the medium tire and my other bike I could have done 1'45, at least at Jack's level. So it’s a shame”."

And it is not the course of the race for his direct opponents, who have not experienced great fortune in Japan either, which will console him: “ No, it just makes things worse for me.", replied the eldest Espargaró. “ Because I missed a great opportunity. If they had finished P1 and P2 it would have been worse for the championship, but I wouldn't have been so angry and sad. I'm very sad because I know I was faster than them today. And it’s very difficult to be faster than Pecco and Fabio – it’s very rare”.

Next weekend Thailand already presents itself… “ I'd rather go home to my family, to be honest. But it's my job,” comments Maverick Viñales' teammate, seventh in this sixteenth round of the championship, as if discouraged. « I will now enter the box. I don't know how yet, but I have to support them. It's a mistake, it can happen. I don't care about the championship, I just want to win in Thailand. That's all I have in mind at the moment.".

MotoGP Japan J3: ranking

Credit classification motogp.com