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The British weekend for Aleix Espargarò had started with the rosiest of expectations. The Spaniard in the beginning of the weekend had won for himself the pole in qualifying and the third step of the podium in the sprint. But then came the cold awakening, not because of the temperatures on the track, but because of the technical gap that remains between the Ducatis and the rest of their opponents.
On his Aprilia, Aleix Espargarò was the only rider, besides young Acosta, to keep company with the eight Ducatis in the top ten of the standings. A frustrating sixth place for him, who despite his hard tire gamble had to watch helplessly as the traction gap between his RSGP and the Borgo Panigale bikes passed him one by one. "The ranking speaks for itself," he would later tell reporters, but without denying due praise to rival Enea even likening him to friend and rival Pedrosa.
"It was like Barcelona, it's hard to give an explanation for this result," Aleix explained, "we did a great job during this weekend, yesterday we set the new lap record in qualifying and also today in the race, I think it was one of the best race days of my career, yet in terms of tire management there was nothing I could do. It was frustrating to see the Ducatis pass me one by one and outdistance me. I tried everything, I think I set the record for the most map changes, I even tried engine braking and traction control."
So the problem was not the choice to mount the hard on the front.
"Actually it was the solution, with these temperatures and a few drops starting to fall I think I made a brave choice that paid off because it allowed me to make up a lot of time under braking, although I admit that once on the grid I was a little scared."
The Ducatis today seemed uncatchable.
"The problem is the way the Ducatis are able to exploit the rear tire, it's amazing to see but also very frustrating. It seems that with the soft they have some problems closing the front instead and that explains why in sprints and qualifying we are closer to the Ducatis, but their traction is in a league of its own. It's really hard for me to fight against that, and I think today's ranking speaks for itself."
Bastianini was the best at exploiting and managing the rear tire today.
"He's really good, he reminds me of the Pedrosa in his best days, smooth and fast under acceleration but without stressing the rear tire. He has to find a way to figure out what he does differently on days like today, if he can figure it out he would easily become the man to beat and a viable contender for the title. The feeling from the outside is that everything comes easy to him."
Has the new aerodynamics on the Aprilia helped make the bike less physical, especially in long races like here at Silverstone?
"Yes, although Silverstone is not a particularly tiring track, yesterday after the sprint talking to Enea and Jorge I saw them more fatigued than me. Today it was the same for me even at the end of the race, that means it is making a difference."
How did it affect you to see Enea and Jorge lapping in the low 1'59s at the end of the race?
"It was frustrating, I don't think I rode badly during the weekend, I didn't make any mistakes and always on the limit. So to come home with a sixth place is definitely frustrating. There are days when you can't give more, and this was one of those days. We made the difference throughout the weekend with the other Aprilias, with the KTMs and with the Japanese, I was the only one able to fight with the Ducatis but the gap to them is still gigantic."
Jorge has been competitive since right after the mistake in Germany.
"Yes, we are at a point where mistakes are paid dearly, but this weekend he managed to make up precious points on Pecco, it will be a hard-fought world championship between the two of them, although I think that Enea too if he continues in this direction can fight for the title. The fastest though remains Jorge, if it were up to me the title should go to the fastest, which right now is him."
