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MotoGP, Albesiano: Espargaró penalised but not at fault

The Aprilia manager: "giving up 3 positions, Aleix lost pace and concentration". The Spaniard echoes the sentiment: "in flag-to-flag there is chaos, we missed a good opportunity"

MotoGP: Albesiano: Espargaró penalised but not at fault

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Aleix Espargaró had to yield three positions to the riders behind him today in Brno: the Spanish team Aprilia Gresini rider was riding a great race, perhaps the best of the season astride his RS-GP, when the peremptory penalty arrived from Race Direction.

The decision that partially ruined number 41’s Grand Prix was caused by the episode in pit lane during the bike change (Aprilia and Suzuki touched, with Iannone losing control and crashing), while the track was drying out and, in the aftermath of the race, Aprilia’s Romano Albesiano expressed his disappointment: “From a technical and competitive point of view, this was a very positive weekend overall - the racing manager from Noale said - We were fast in all the sessions and in qualifying too, and in the race we confirmed our speed, finishing in the top ten again. Unfortunately, we received a penalty for which Espargaró was not at fault and, due to this unfavourable episode for us, Aleix lost his concentration and the pace he had before yielding the 3 positions.”

And yet, the Spaniard had the right idea on the track: “I was one of the first to change bikes, but unfortunately, the episode in pit lane involved Iannone - Aleix reveals - Luckily, there were no physical consequences for him and the guys on his team, but it is not easy to manage such a hectic situation. It seems like a change may be in order.”

Aleix was battling for the podium and, besides the 3 positions yielded, he had to row hard, but he was defending his position well: “I did not have the same feeling with the second bike - Espargaró reveals – because it is less updated and I could not push with the soft tyre we chose. We definitely lost out on a good chance for an even better result, but finishing in the top ten in these difficult conditions is still an important confirmation of our level.”

Sam Lowes was eighteenth today in one of his most difficult races since moving up to the Top Class: “Strange conditions today - the Brit explains his result - We started in the wet, but the track dried out incredibly fast. This was my first flag-to-flag and I learned a lot from this new experience. I did not have the same feeling with the second bike and in hindsight maybe starting directly with slicks would not have been such a risk”.

 

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
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