Difficult qualifier for Aleix Espargaro in Catalunya

The grip conditions on the Spanish Montmelò track did not improve during the second day of practice, complicated by asphalt temperatures reaching 50°C in the afternoon. For the Aprilia riders, this meant working in anticipation of the race on tyre choices and the best setup for tomorrow’s 24 laps.

In FP4, the most indicative session from this point of view, Andrea and Aleix both started with used tyres, demonstrating a rather consistent pace over the long distance. Bradley, on the other hand, assessed the two solutions, soft and medium, in order to gather as much informations as possible.

Unfortunately, the results they had hoped for did not arrive in qualifying, with Aleix having to settle for sixth row and Andrea forced to abort his second outing due to a technical problem with the ride-by-wire on his RS-GP. So, it is looking like it will be a race from behind for the Aprilia trio, on the hunt for a top-10 finish.

Aleix Espargaro:

“Today I gave everything I had, but it was impossible to do any more. Our starting position does not satisfy us, that much is clear, but in FP4 I was able to do a full 22 laps with the soft rear tyre, maintaining a good pace. If we are able to keep that pace in the race, we’ll be able to battle for the top ten again. It will be a difficult race for everyone, very physical, with low grip and high temperatures on the asphalt. In these conditions, I know that we’ll be able to be competitive in the finale, so I’ll be on the attack from the first lap.”