“The 2022 trend has not changed,” Aleix Espargaro deems Ducati the best bike
Aleix Espargaro does not include himself in the title fight, he fears Ducati's performance.
Follow Us
Aleix Espargaro
Aleix Espargaro, the Aprilia Racing rider fears that Ducati is still the best bike on the grid. This comes after he noticed his rival’s performance in the Sepang test. Though the tests were not done yet, he felt nothing much had changed compared to the 2022 season in terms of Ducati’s performance.
In 2022, Espargaro had his first win in the premier class after 200 entries, he won the Argentinian GP after starting from pole position. He further signed a two-year contract extension with the team till 2024. Espargaro is teamed up with Maverick Vinales, the 2013 Moto3 world champion. The riders have been busy testing their new bikes in Sepang.
The Aprilia Racing rider opened up to GPOne.com about his thoughts on the Sepang test. While he was waiting for a race simulation, the driver went to speak about Ducati’s performance. “My feeling is that the 2022 trend has not changed, Ducati remains the best bike. Bagnaia is very fast, the drivers of the satellite teams go as strong as Bastianini, then there is Martin who is impressive on the dry lap”.
While speaking about Aprilia, Espargaro mentioned that the 2023 bike is better than 2022. “The engine has more revolutions, the maximum speed has increased, the bike is tighter and allows me to be aggressive in the change of direction, the new aerodynamics is better both on the straight and in the curve. Above all, we took a big leap forward in cooling, last year it had been a nightmare, here, in Indonesia, in Thailand I had even burned myself,” he said.
Related: “I want to stay close,” Miguel Oliveira sets objectives for MotoGP’s 2023 pre-season test
Aleix Espargaro fears Aprilia is not at Ducati’s level
Espargaro feels that Ducati is the best bike with the best riders who looked fast. However, he hasn’t given up hope yet, he believes the Aprilia bike is better than last season. The Aprilia Racing boss, Romano Albesiano had assured Espargaro that at Noale they will try a new engine which is better than the one used during the Sepang test. He will have it in the second pre-season testing in Portimao.
Aleix Espargaro dreads Ducati’s pace. He stressed enough that it is mandatory to fight for the top 4 or 5 positions as the team has invested a lot and they also have a satellite team with a good line-up.
The Spaniard disregarded the fight for the title, he feels the team is not at Ducati’s level and they do not have the structure to do so. Once the Portimao tests begin there will be a better understanding of the team’s performance.
In case you missed:
Stay Updated!
Gerard Crispin
(3318 Articles Published)