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After announcing that he was stepping down from racing at the end of the year Aleix Espargaro appeared to have unblocked himself. Looking to be in great harmony with his Aprilia he first set the pole position and then won the Sprint Race at "his" Montmelo.
"I am very happy with the decision I made and today I finally enjoyed the grid like never before. Next to me then were my wife and some friends, plus everyone was shouting my name. I was really calm. The race was complicated. I got off to a bad start and considering how slippy the track was I thought it would be impossible for me to make overtakes in the first few laps. In the first five I was calm, but then I passed Martin and Acosta and that's when the crashes started," he commented on his race.
"I honestly didn't expect Bagnaia's crash on the last lap. As for me in the last three I lapped in 1'39"5 with the finished tyres, I recovered a tenth from him, but when I saw that he kept making mistakes I tried to get closer to put additional pressure on him and I succeeded. At the finish line the crowd exploded? I don't know if it's karma, but I feel very grateful. It was incredible. My wife coming here told me to repeat what I did in 2023. On that occasion I had missed the pole. To have made it here and also to have won the Sprint is fantastic. The all-Spanish podium? It was Pedro who told Marc to lift me up. For me that is a reason for pride. What did I think seeing Pecco on the ground? This is a track where it is important to use your head. Not giving up helped me."
On a circuit like this, tyre management is crucial. "As I said, I tried not to push too hard at the start, but before the start I had asked about the pace of the others and I was the only one who could stay under 1'39"5 for a few laps. When I saw that the grip was dropping I took advantage of it. Sometimes experience pays off," he said.
Having announced retirement well in advance has and will have its pros. "I will be able to approach the weekends differently and more relaxed. Already today I was able to enjoy every moment, including the pole start in my home GP, which was a first for me. Coming back to the race, my start was not as effective as that of my rivals. We will see tomorrow. I take comfort that this is a track where you can overtake. The GP will be long, we will have the medium at the rear and the front is being stressed a lot, everyone wants to win and is aggressive. There will be to save the tyre at the beginning, but at the same time we will have to defend. At the beginning of the weekend we opted to make a mix between the 2023 bike and the current one, because the old one had performed very well, especially in the fourth sector and cornering, the 2024, on the other hand, stops better and has more downforce, so I tried to find a compromise and so far it has paid off," he commented.
