Aleix Espargaró, the Aprilia rider, faced a challenging start at the Valencia Grand Prix, finishing the Practice with the 10th best time, only four-tenths behind his teammate. Espargaró has been struggling with a peroneal head fracture since the Qatar race, causing significant discomfort and hindering his performance on the bike.
Espargaró commented on his physical condition, stating quoted by Motosan.es: ‘I feel very bad, it hurts a lot’. Despite attempts to manage the pain with infiltration and medication, he found it extremely difficult to complete more than a few laps without severe discomfort, particularly when turning left.
He expressed hope that Maverick Viñales, who had an impressive start at the Grand Prix, would win, praising Viñales’ performance and the Aprilia bike’s capabilities. Espargaró also acknowledged that the Valencia track’s layout, which requires heavy use of the front brake, did not favor him, leading to his falls during the Practice.
A notable incident occurred between Jorge Martín of Prima Pramac Racing and Pecco Bagnaia of Ducati Lenovo Team during the afternoon session. Martín closely followed Bagnaia, attempting to unsettle him. Espargaró criticized Davide Tardozzi, team manager of the Ducati Lenovo Team, for his reaction to this situation. Tardozzi positioned himself at the exit of Jorge Martín’s box, obstructing Martín’s maneuver.
Espargaró disapproved of Tardozzi’s actions, comparing them to an incident in 2022 during the Aragon Grand Prix involving two mechanics from the Max Racing Team and Adrián Fernández, which led to the expulsion of the mechanics. Quoted by Corse di Moto, he expressed that such behavior was the only negative aspect of the day.
‘The thing between Jorge and Pecco is nothing out of this world ’, says Aleix, a great friend of the #89.
‘Pecco had a free lane behind Fabio and he didn’t set the fastest lap. Jorge has only tried to make him nervous . I didn’t like seeing some member of Ducati do what they did a few years ago in Moto3 and there they expelled the mechanics . That is the only negative thing about the day ’, concluded Aleix Espargaró in reference to what happened in 2022, during the Aragón Grand Prix, between two Max Racing mechanics and Adrián Fernández.