English
Italiano
After a few weeks of relaxation and cycling, topped off by participation in the Vuelta in Ibiza, Aleix Espargaró is ready to get back on his Aprilia RS-GP and tackle the Circuit of the Americas.
"Following the cancellation of Argentina, we decided to race in Ibiza. It is a race I have participated in several times, but this year was a little bit different because I raced with Jorge and we tried to have fun and train at the same time. I had a lot of fun," said the Spanish rider on the eve of the weekend in Texas. "Last year was not bad here. I finished 4th in the Sprint, I was pretty fast and then I crashed in the long race. We will see because this is one of the most physical and challenging circuits and we will see what the new asphalt will be like."
There are many topics of discussion before the engines are turned back on. First among them is Liberty Media's takeover of Dorna, which could bring big changes to MotoGP.
"I don't know what to think about that. We have to wait and give them time," Aleix said. "I talked to Carlos Ezpeleta last week on the phone and he told me that we have to be patient because they will need time to understand what direction we have to go in. It' s not like you can copy everything Formula 1 has done with Liberty Media, because they are different sports and it would work differently. But honestly, it looks promising."
Among the most critical of the changes made last season to the championship's format, the eldest of the Espargaró brothers in fact seems to welcome the arrival of the American company, for the sake of MotoGP: "If we analyze the last two seasons I've always tried to do new different things and welcome new challenges, because I know we need to reach more people, because in the end this is a show, one of the best shows in the world, but it's not as well-known as it should be."
After Fabio Quartararo's surprise renewal, it is impossible not to talk about the market and the contacts the Frenchman had with the Noale-based manufacturer.
"Fabio is one of the best riders, if not the best young rider in terms of talent, and it is normal that Aprilia has talked to him, but they told me they never made him an offer. We will never know if that is true, only Fabio and Aprilia know, but I can totally understand, because he is a young rider, we Aprilia riders are expiring our contracts this year and so was he. Massimo's job is to talk to everyone ," commented Aleix, still doubtful about what his future will be instead.
"When will I make a decision? It's a good question. I don't know. I hope Aprilia will offer me a new job, but the important thing is not so much that, but to understand if I want to stay or not. I haven't decided yet," he admitted, " I want to wait a little longer before deciding, at least until Mugello, to see how my performance is. I'm having fun this year, but I want to fight for the Top 5 at every race, and if not this will be the last year."
There are many questions to be answered by the Iberian rider, who is still not sure if he wants to continue racing full-time.
"I'm trying to figure out what is the best future for me," he underlined, "I don't think it is to race somewhere other than Aprilia, in the sense that if I decided to continue racing full-time I would stay with them. But maybe I could decide to stop and just do some wild cards or stop completely. I still have to decide. Right now I'm obsessed with performance, I want to be on the podium every weekend and then decide."
Even a couple of years as a tester would not displease the Catalan, who is tickled by the idea of trying his hand at a new profession.
"It would be very exciting, because it's a new job, a new role, that didn't even exist five years ago. Pirro and Ducati changed the game six years ago, and now we understand how important it is. We see it with Dani and Pol in KTM and Yamaha and Honda have to step up with their test teams because they are not at the level of the Italians or KTM. Everything can change and I think it would be a good opportunity for me as well, that's why I'm thinking about it," he confessed, " I would love to help build a new bike, I had so much fun in the last six or seven years developing the Aprilia and I think we did a great job. I learned a lot of things and it could also be a possibility for the future."
Vinales: "The problem we had in Portimao will not happen again."
Maverick Vinales is ready to turn the page after the gearbox problem that prevented him from finishing on the podium at the Portuguese GP. A problem that will not come back to bother the Aprilia Racing team rider in Texas, where he aims to be the protagonist of another excellent weekend.
"Of course I talked to the team, I wanted to know what happened and of course I'm involved in anything I can improve for the team. Basically, the important thing is that it wasn' t a technical problem, it was a human problem and it won't happen again," explained the Spanish rider. " I can't say any more, but this is very important: we are happy that it wasn't a technical problem, because we have to believe that our bike has good reliability. Obviously this is something we always have in mind and in which we have to improve, but we know we have a good package and we have to move forward."
Getting back into the fight for victory may not be easy, but Vinales is convinced that the RS-GP has all the cards to be competitive in America as well.
"We have to think we can be fast at every track. It is true that it is complicated to be at the level of Portimao every weekend, but we will try," he said. " I don't see any difference between Austin and Portimao: there are ups and downs, tight corners and fast corners. It should work and I am very motivated."
