With a new RS-GP as a weapon whose effectiveness is no longer in doubt, Aleix Espargaró hoped to leave Qatar with the best result for the brand since it entered MotoGP. For that, we had to do better than sixth place. The objective was missed. But to the Spaniard's credit, the Losail route has a straight line more than a kilometer long and the level of the plateau has seriously tightened. Two crippling factors when you reach nearly 20 km/h at peak for Ducatis. So the only top driver in the Noale factory is biding his time...
Aleix Espargaró did what he could in this Doha Grand Prix which was the second meeting of the MotoGP with the Qatar over two successive weekends. The Spaniard fought well, showing himself to be a danger for the podium at the start of the race. But the second part of the test was a little more complicated. The Spaniard explains: “ it was a frustrating ride », sighs the 31-year-old pilot. “ I think I did a good job and gave it my all, but everyone could see how much ground I was losing on the straights. It was very difficult to keep my place ».
He adds : " The bike runs great and this year's tires also work, but it's very difficult on the straights. In the second half of the race I lost almost one position per lap. I tried to be aggressive and also attacked Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo, but I lost ground again on the straight. It was really tricky ", declared the eldest of the two brothers I will espargaro.
« In the last part of the race, the Ducati factory marked time and I had the impression that my tires were in better condition. However, I didn't have the chance to pass them. It was impossible, they were just much faster », added the pilot Aprilia which soberly sums up: “ tenth place is not a good result, but I think I achieved the best possible ».
It will be recalled thatAleix Espargaró had started seventh. During the Qatar Grand Prix, he started eighth to finish seventh. The final result of Doha is therefore less good. The best top speedAleix Espargaró during the race was 343,9 km/h, to compare with that of Jack Miller at the top of this ranking with 356,4 km/h. Only the pilots Petronas Yamaha what are Red et Morbidely et Savadori, his teammate, were slower than him.
Aleix Espargaro: “the progress made in terms of acceleration is incredible”
From then on, we must wait for better terrain to finally surpass this sixth place as the best result. Exactly, these plots are coming… “ The progress we made in terms of acceleration is incredible, I didn't lose any time in the middle of the track compared to the others. I think we are on the same level as our opponents. Only on the straights is the difference incredibly big, especially in fifth and sixth gear, where we lose almost 20 km / h ».
He finishes : " it will be very difficult on a track like Qatar, but on tracks like Portimão and Jerez we will definitely show very good races. I am confident that we can fight for the top six places there. So I can't wait to get back to Portimão ". It will be from April 16 to 18. Meanwhile, from the 12th to the 14th of the same month, Andrea Dovizioso will have tested the RS-GP in Jerez…
MotoGP Qatar 2 J3: classification
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
