Anything can happen and Valentino had to experience big difficulties, but the Italian Aprilia managed to beat the transalpine champion during this Spanish Grand Prix.
Although Aleix's free practice had gone well, his qualification was catastrophic when he crashed during Q2 and therefore only ranked twelfth and last. He started on the fourth row of the grid with Jack Miller et Scott Redding.
Fourteenth in the first round, he was then overtaken by Alvaro Bautista et Danilo Petrucci. He gradually moved up to tenth position, then managed to get ahead of Valentino Rossi in the final laps. He finally ranked ninth, 4 seconds behind Jonas Folger.
In the provisional general classification, he occupies thirteenth position with 17 points, 4 units behind Jack Miller and 3 ahead Alvaro Bautista.
According to Aleix Espargaro, “ Today's race was one of the most difficult of my career. The conditions were really difficult. It was very easy to fall. After a few laps I even reduced my lean angle.
“The sliders on my leathers are almost unused and this is something that has never happened for me. I tried to catch up with Folger, but when I saw that the gap was not decreasing, I preferred to maintain my position without taking any unnecessary risks.
“Today’s result is important. A top 10 after two weekends without points and in such treacherous conditions is positive for morale. In any case, we must continue to work. Tomorrow we will be on the track again with a lot of things to test in order to develop the RS-GP. »
For Aprilia Competition Director Romano Albesiano, who are " In a difficult race characterized by great grip problems, Espargaró put in a solid performance, preferring to take home a top 10 instead of risking too much. Folger could have been within reach, but in any case we finished the race after two unhappy weekends.
“It was a shame for the start of the race which was conditioned by some problems with the gearbox, which cost us precious seconds, otherwise Aleix could have stayed with the group in front of him.
“We will ride here tomorrow, aware that we can take advantage of a very important test, where we will develop several areas. Therefore, we are confident about the upcoming races. »
#SpanishGP MotoGP Race: Ranking
1. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 45m 26.827s
2. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 45m 32.963s
3. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 45m 41.594s
4. Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 45m 44.428s
5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 45m 49.740s
6. Maverick Vinales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 45m 51.383s
7. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) 45m 51.786s
8. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 45m 54.548s
9. Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 45m 58.060s
10. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 46m 5.509s
11. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 46m 7.806s
12. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 46m 10.026s
13. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 46m 10.038s
14. Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 46m 14.791s
15. Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP15) 46m 18.106s
16. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* 46m 35.712s
17. Takuya Tsuda JPN Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 46m 54.277s
