Aleix Espargaró delivered an unexpected performance in the MotoGP Austrian GP Sprint race, securing a third-place finish despite a challenging start to the weekend at the Red Bull Ring — a track traditionally tough for Aprilia. After a difficult Friday, Espargaró bounced back with a fourth-place finish in qualifying and a podium in the Sprint race.
The Spaniard credited these significant improvements to the collective effort of his team, with numerous adjustments made to the bike after the first day in Spielberg:
‘It’s team work. We did a good job, especially with Antonio [Jiménez, crew chief] we changed quite a lot the bike from yesterday to today. We moved all the weight of the rider a little bit back, I changed the first chicane, instead of first, in the second gear. I worked hard yesterday, I changed a lot of things, and this morning I also a new, fresh, engine. So many, many small details that we worked hard with the team. And I was really confident in the qualifying, I put a really, really good lap, it was one of the best qualifyings’.
Espargaró then said: ‘In the race I never expected to follow them for six or seven laps; I was very, very focused, very happy. I really destroyed both tyres, so tomorrow is going to be hard, but I’m really proud of today’.
When asked if the Sprint race would help in preparing for the main race, the #41 explained: ‘Last year I was in doubt on the grid between the soft and medium [tyre], and this time I said to the team: «After the good qualifying we did, we put the soft and we go 100% full throttle». All the first row was the soft rear. I said to Antonio: «I will start like it is a qualifying, if I crash or if I destroy the tyres, that’s it». In lap three/four, I had all the alarms of the dashboard, everything in red, the front pressure, the tyre temperature, everything. It was like a qualifying for me. But it’s the way, when you are not at the same level you have to risk, and this is the beauty of our sport. And today I’m happy; I really risked a lot today, but I’m very happy’.
According to Espargaró, the struggles with the tyres were significant, although it might not have been evident from the outside: ‘It doesn’t look on the TV, but I was really in the limit, especially the rear I knew that I would destroy, but the front tomorrow… I don’t know how we will make it to the end, the front was really destroyed, moving, moving, moving. But the pace on the last lap was not that bad. So we’ll see tomorrow’.