Aprilia was there. Maverick Vinales too. The only big absentee from this Portuguese Grand Prix was none other than the man who usually makes them shine; Alex Espargaro. Certainly, he had never been in sight here before like his teammate but we are talking about total transparency, from Friday until Sunday with this 8th place, acquired following a good comeback but weighted by the falls in front. Clearly, Aprilia may have regrets about this second round of the 2024 championship.
Aleix Espargaro never succeeded in finding the solution in Portugal. It's not for lack of trying, but on Sunday the Spaniard still wasn't comfortable with his package. His first words go to Maverick Vinales, winner of the Sprint, who almost ended up on the box. “I'm really sorry for Maverick because he had an incredible weekend and deserved the podium, but unfortunately this is how races go” he confided, full of experience. Obviously, he has already experienced this kind of mechanical damage, with Aprilia but not only, and more than once.
Photo: Michelin Motorsport
A surprising lack of grip
Usually, when a grip problem affects Aprilia, all the riders suffer – see Misano 2023 or Catalonia 2023 in the other direction. But this time, the difference between Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro was quite surprising. « I didn't manage to find the feeling throughout the weekend, there was a lack of grip at the rear. But in the end, I made a good comeback and won important points. » he added. This remains a satisfactory operation, because competitors who could pose problems for him in the long term overall (the Marquez brothers, and Vinales, among others) did not score as many points as they would have liked.
Aleix Espargaro must react at the next meeting in Austin. The task will not be easy, then, do you think he can get back into the race for the top 3? Tell us in the comments!
2024 MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix result:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
