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Although he has not yet fully recovered from the fracture of the fifth metacarpal of his right hand, Aleix Espargaró was one of the big protagonists of this Friday at Silverstone, which saw the Aprilia rider conclude FP2 with the 2nd time, just 45 thousandths behind the Ducati of Jorge Martin. A more than positive return to the bike for the Spanish rider, who also got to use the new aerodynamic package introduced by the Noale-based manufacturer to increase the RS-GP's handling.
"It was a good day. Especially because I was a bit worried after the crash in the Sprint," commented Aleix briefing on his physical condition: "The summer break didn't go as I would have expected, because the other injuries I've had you could usually see a big improvement after a couple of weeks. Instead with the hand it's different. I have suffered several injuries in the last three seasons, but none similar to this one. This time I had enough pain and, frankly, I was not able to recover as I would have expected. Last week was a little bit better, although I still didn't feel perfectly and it's strange after a month and a half. I was a little worried before Silverstone, but it's not that bad. I can ride and I had a lot of fun today."
Also positive was the first contact with the second aero package approved by Aprilia.
"The bike is a little bit more agile and this is important, because we had a lot of problems in the last races stemming from the fact that very difficult to move the bike and understand where the limit was. The difference with this fairing is not like between day and night, but it's not bad ," said Aleix . "I usually do a couple of close comparisons with the aerodynamics to be more sure, but unfortunately we can't do that during the weekend because there is not enough time. However, it seems to be slightly better for the moment and that's why I decided to keep it."
Despite the abnormally hot weather in the U.K., Espargaró has not had a chance to test the bike's behavior in conditions that have challenged it in the past.
"We'll see when we get to Asia, but the problem is not the temperature. Even if we reached 35°C here it would not be a disaster. The problem is the humidity, because neither we humans nor the engine breathe. And when the engine doesn't breathe, everything gets very hot and then we pay the consequences. We'll have to wait for the Asian races, but I'm not very positive because the new fairing looks good from a performance point of view, but it doesn't seem to be a step forward in terms of heat," noted the Aprilia captain, who is not very confident of making big steps forward in the future: "We can't homologate other solutions, and the ones we used last year had no effect."
Speaking instead about the conditions of the Silverstone track, Aleix added, "It's not bad. I love this place and the layout of the circuit and I think the track is fine. It was pretty hot this afternoon and the grip wasn't great, but it's not bad. Last year I lapped in 1'58"1 on Friday and I was ahead of everyone, while this year I did 1'57"9 and I'm not first, so the track hasn't gotten worse. "
Aleix then spoke about his future as a Honda test rider, in which he will be followed by Antonio Jimenez, one of the historic chief mechanics in the paddock.
"I have spoken a lot with Joan Mir. I am very happy because I am a very involved person in the projects and I don't think my role is just to go to Honda to test swingarms. I have spoken about it with the Japanese and with Alberto Puig. So, to be able to work with Luca Marini and especially with Joan, who I think is a champion and a rider I know very well, I am very excited to be able to give him a hand.
A future commitment that could spoil his last months as Aprilia 'Captain'?
"I don't think Aprilia will limit me. I understand that if there is something revolutionary between now and the end of the year, maybe Martín will try it at Valencia and not me but I am here to help and my dream is that next year Aprilia and Jorge can win the World Championship. I will not hide it even if I switch to Honda. I will do everything I can between now and the end of the year to leave the best possible legacy. In fact, I will try something new here that I don't like, but that could be positive for the future. It is a completely different and revolutionary system of devices.
