“Do you want me to kill them?”, Aleix Espargaro lashes out at the safety commission over the Portimao gravel
The MotoGP riders feel that their pleas regarding the Portimao gravel are not heard by the organization.
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Aleix Espargaro. Image via Motosport.
Aleix Espargaro had a troubled session in the pre-season testing due to his physical limitations. The Aprilia Racing rider will undergo surgery ahead of the 2023 MotoGP season. It is less than two weeks to go and Espargaro’s arm problems have been troublesome. The MotoGP rider revealed he had no power on his right hand during the pre-season testing. He will undergo fibrosis surgery as soon as possible.
The Aprilia Rider had a few words to say about the performance. The Spaniard addressed his team’s rear wing. After the test, he felt that there were both positive and negative points regarding this. Aleix Espargaro was one of the fastest with medium tyres. However, he could not use the soft rear as he ended his session early due to his arm. Apart from this, Espargaro was frustrated with the safety commission over the Portimao gravel.
“I don’t want to talk about this. It’s already been four years talking about this and nobody listens. I’ve said it several times already. Yesterday Maverick Vinales had a problem with the gravel and so did Fabio Di Giannantonio. Even at Jerez, we had to talk 1000 times before changing it”. The Spaniard was irritated that no actions were taken regarding the gravel.
Related: “Retiring was a big option,” Marc Marquez reveals he considered calling it quits in MotoGP
Aleix Espargaro lost his cool while talking about the gravel
Espargaro was asked what he would do if the riders’ complaints continued to remain fruitless, “What? Do you want me to kill them? There is nothing I can do. We can say what we feel and there is nothing else we can do. The wrong thing to do is to be silent, and we are not silent. We have said it several times in the Safety Commission and we say it to you as well, but there is no reaction”.
The Aprilia Racing rider was irritated with the questions. Every year the riders complain about the gravel, there are big stones and it causes more harm than the tarmac. Fabio Di Giannantonio, the Gresini Racing rider called the gravel “insane” and stated it was better to race in Monaco during the pre-season test. Last year, Bagnaia had a heavy fall and took a handful of gravel to the Ducati garage to show them proof.
The problem with this gravel is that the size of the crash does not matter, there is always a huge impact on the bike. The riders find it very difficult and have been outspoken about it. However, no changes were made so far. Like Aleix Espargaro the other riders are annoyed with this stagnation. They want to be heard.
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Sugantha Meena
(493 Articles Published)