This Sunday August 29, 2021, Aleix Espargaró answered questions from journalists from the Silverstone circuit, at the end of the third day of the MotoGP British Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the Spanish rider, who scored his first podium with Aprilia since joining Noale's troops in 2017.
As usual, we report here the words of Aleix Espargaró without the slightest formatting.
Aleix, how does it feel to be back on the podium after seven years of waiting?
" That It’s been such a long time! It was really important to finish on the podium this season, but in the end the most important thing is to improve the bike and continue to grow the project. This podium owes nothing to the weather conditions, or to the accidents of other drivers. We had already been close to the podium in previous races, but here the fact of achieving our goals is something that gives me extra motivation to continue to improve the bike. I think we're doing a good job, we're closer than ever to the front lines. »
" I think it's deserved for me and for Aprilia, because we suffered a lot during these five seasons, especially in my case two years ago, because it was really difficult: The bike was not competitive, I was falling all the time. But fortunately things now seem to be going in a better direction. The future also seems to be bright for us, so let's hope we can maintain this pace. »
“It’s deserved for me and Aprilia”
Are you going to aim for more podiums this season, or stay fully focused on the development of the bike?
“Aprilia has made great progress since the arrival of Massimo Rivola. The team has made a lot of progress, although there are still many things to improve. Next year we will be a real factory team, Maverick Viñales will join us, and so the future looks bright for us. Of course the season is still long and I want even more, from the next round in Aragón! »
Let's talk about Aragón, it's there that you won your last podium in MotoGP before this one, there that you had obtained your best result so far with Aprilia, not to mention that you will have improvements. What are your specific expectations for this next round?
" It It is clear that Aragón is a track that I appreciate. We are in good shape now, and normally in Aragón the bike is competitive, especially since we will have a brand new engine there. So we'll see, knowing that this is not a circuit for Fabio Quartararo [he smiles], the pace should be a little slower! We'll try to fight for the podium, but in the end that's what I say every race weekend. But I really think we will be ready to fight for the podium again. »
In your opinion, is your result today likely to send a message of hope to Maverick Viñales?
" In At the start of the season, if he had been told that he was going to leave Yamaha to join Aprilia, he would no doubt have thought that it was a serious step backwards. What is certain is that the way his relationship ended with Yamaha is not ideal. But for him it's not so bad, because if the Aprilia is certainly not at the level of the Yamaha, it's still a good bike, and we're in a good dynamic. I think he will enjoy riding the Aprilia. He's going to use it from Misano, and he's obviously going to have to adapt because it's obviously something other than the Yamaha, but as I showed today this bike is on the right track. »
“Maverick will have fun riding the Aprilia”
Do you think the championship is over given the performances of Fabio Quartararo?
" According to For me, it's not a matter of the number of points he has, but it's simply that he drives better than all the other drivers. He can therefore have fun, drive by hand, and he can even afford to make mistakes given his lead. But I really don't think it's a matter of points. He's faster than all of us here, that's all. That's why it will be very easy for him this season to win the title, and I don't see anyone being able to beat him in every race to be able to stop him. »
“I don’t see anyone being able to beat Fabio”
This is the first time since 1972 that the top 6 is made up of six different manufacturers. What do you think of this statistic?
" For It’s incredible for me. The level of riders in MotoGP at the moment is the highest I have ever seen. It's tight both for the drivers and the manufacturers, and I know that it greatly stimulates the manufacturers in development, and that's fantastic. As Fabio explained very well, in the past if you wanted to win you had to ride a Yamaha or a Honda. Now the bikes are always different, but they are also all competitive. The fact that we end up with six different manufacturers is just crazy. »
You had a somewhat crazy race, between riding together with your brother in the lead at the start of the race, and your defense for third place against Jack Miller in the final stages...
" At At the start I immediately felt competitive, and so when I saw Pol in front of me, I tried to follow him, and as soon as I understood that I had a better pace I tried to pass him. But during my attempt I went too wide and he was able to pass me again. And on the second, the bike braked suddenly on the back straight, and I don't know exactly why. But she ended up leaving, but in the meantime I had lost several positions, and I therefore lost any chance of being able to follow Fabio. »
" My The race could have been easier if I had managed to follow him for even five or six laps. Then on the last lap I made a big mistake, because I was trying to attack Rins for second place without really caring who was behind me and how far away. It was a big mistake because I opened the door in the last chicane. But for the rest I think I drove pretty well: Smooth and intelligent. In the end I had more traction than Jack Miller so I was able to keep my third place, because I absolutely had no intention of letting go of the podium. »
Earlier in the weekend you said that you thought you were one of the three fastest riders in MotoGP. We imagine that your result today is likely to support your thesis…
" I never really said that. What I said is that at the moment I think I'm riding at my best level and that actually puts me among the three fastest riders in MotoGP at the moment. Today we did a good job, and I even think we had better speed than third place, but I didn't have the pace I had in the warm up. »
"With the cool temperatures and the medium tire at the front, I didn't really have the same pace. Besides, on the grid when I saw that Fabio was changing his front tire to put on the soft, I had a lot of doubts. I think in the end I lost a little speed with the medium tire. My bike has progressed a lot, but it doesn't yet allow me to aim for victory, but what is certain is that I am in great shape in terms of my riding. »
Did the specifics of Silverstone help you obtain your podium, or should we now expect you to fight for the top 3 during each race weekend?
"This What makes me really happy is that our result owes nothing to the weather conditions or someone's fall. We have broken our teeth several times on the top 3 this year, and so the fact of having achieved this goal makes me very happy. At Le Mans, when my engine cut out I was in the top 5, same thing in Austria where I was very strong when I had my technical problem. »
“Silverstone is not a special track for us, and I think that if we had not had these two engine problems we would be able to fight for the top 3 not only in the race, but also in the championship, because when you look at the general classification we are not that far away. »
“Let’s hope that we will be able to confirm this result during the next rounds. Our podium today doesn't mean we'll be able to fight for top 3 finishes in every race, but we're getting really close to the front. I think all the MotoGP riders are more or less at the same level at the moment, with the exception of Fabio who is still a notch above. But objectively I don't see any other rider faster than me at the moment, so let's hope I can get on the podium again in the next rounds. »
“Fabio is a cut above”
You have consistently been the fastest Aprilia rider since joining the team in 2017. Could you describe what you think makes your riding style so superior to others? Furthermore, can you explain the latest step forward that Aprilia has taken to close the gap compared to the competition in this way?
" A one thing is certain: I have never tried to adapt the bike to my riding style. Over the last five years I've tried to develop the bike, and I've always made sure it's me who adapts to it. This is what I have tried to do during these five years, and since the arrival of Massimo Rivola a lot of things have changed in Noale, whether in the way we work, or even in the arrival of new engineers within the team. »
" Nothing is free in our sport, to achieve your objectives you have to invest, and that's what we did. It is no coincidence that the RS-GP21 is the most efficient in terms of stability. It has much more aerodynamic downforce, and we also made a big effort on balance by changing the position of the engine. A lot has changed in the last two years, and now we can see the results, which come from multiple small improvements made over the years. »
MotoGP – Silverstone – Race Results
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
