Aleix Espargaró will leave MotoGP at the end of this season and, recalling the official communication that he would retire and that how it didn’t go exactly how he wanted. He also revelead to be surprised by seeing every rider of the grid present and how his focus have shifted early on this season to his family.
Speaking to Sport and quoted on Motosan, the Aprilia Racing rider remembered how his retirement announcement have happened and how he was surprised: ‘I wanted to do it in the Aprilia Hospitality, something more intimate, but the organizers explained to me that by protocol it couldn’t be and when I entered the press room and saw almost the entire MotoGP grid I was amazed’.
Early this year he started to notice that he was becoming more interested in his own private life, than in competing itself: ‘It hasn’t been difficult for me to leave the motorcycle. I thought it would cost me more, but not because in the end it is a sport where there is a lot of risk and you have to give it your all and when your heart or your head starts to doubt 5% you start to lose a lot. When at the beginning of the season I saw that I was more interested in my home, my family, spending more time here than risking it in the races, it was a very simple step’.
Currently with 34 years old, and one month to turn 35, the #41 is the oldest on track currently among the category and follows on the footsteps of his brother Pol, that left full time MotoGP in 2023, but in a different situation than what is happening with Aleix.