Aleix Espargaró finished fifth in the MotoGP French Grand Prix Sprint race but wasn’t satisfied. The Aprilia rider believes he could have done better if it weren’t for the two Long Lap penalties for the false start.
The Spaniard didn’t hide his frustration, stating: ‘I think I lost a good opportunity. I’m really disappointed, because I’m not really understanding the point of bite of this clutch; I’m struggling really, I don’t like it. I’ve been very close to jump starting in other rounds, and in this race I didn’t gain any time, but I moved the bike, so rules are rules’.
Despite being pleased with his pace during the race, Espargaró believes that considering the penalty, the result wasn’t bad: ‘I think just Jorge [Martín] was a little bit faster than me, but the bike was working well, I was extremely fast, feeling really, really good. It’s a shame, but with two Long Laps finishing fifth is good’.
Asked to explain the difficulties with the clutch, the rider clarified: ‘The point of bite it’s always a little bit different and it’s difficult to understand in which position the bike starts to move or not. You always want to be ready to jump, to start, and I’m struggling. I don’t really like it and we need to improve on that area’.
