To think of Aprilia and to where it is now without highlighting the work done by Aleix Espargaró is impossible, and the fact that the #41 is the one responsible for the growth of the bike, and the commitment he had, deserved praise from Raúl Fernández.
The #25 is still looking for a place for next year in the category and had a lot of kind words for A. Espargaró, the «Captain» of the Noale manufacturer as Massimo Rivola already told on numerous occasions. Now in words to the podcast Fast & Curious, Fernández praised the rider who is set to retire at the end of 2024:
– He has always been the reference in Aprilia, he has been the number one figure that when no one trusted at that time he had the courage to say that he was coming. The difficult thing about MotoGP or what people have to understand about our category is that the more years you spend in a factory, the more advantages you will have.
He has a better understanding on the bike, that no one else has: ‘In the sense, it is of no use now in my case to say: «I’m going to Honda». Now you start again from scratch, you start to gain confidence, understand the team, understand the bike and every year the bike is different; spoilers, aerodynamics, holeshot, chassis and there are too many things to understand’.
And concluded, with an idea that Espargaró followed: ‘When you make a group I think it is much easier and I think it is a bit of the mentality that exists today in MotoGP. Always try to have or be in an environment that, when you create your group and have a competitive motorcycle, I think the best thing is to always try to stay there’.