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Aleix Espargaro landed in Austria loaded with a good dose of realism and caution. Disappointed by his sixth-place finish in the British GP, he has all but forgotten the record-breaking pole position and third step on the podium he took in the Sprint Race, and looking ahead to what the upcoming weekend may tell, the mood does not seem to be brightening.
"For us this is the most difficult track, not for nothing in 2023 we struggled a lot, consequently it will be a challenge," he admitted before outlining the new features we will see on the RS-GP, " Compared to other circuits we will adopt a completely different setting both in terms of aerodynamics and geometry to try to improve.
Returning with his mind to Silverstone, the Spaniard dwelt on the aspects that did not work: "There I was very fast and in the race I finished ahead of the other Aprilias, KTMs and Yamahas, however with a very wide gap. In the break we analyzed the first ten rounds and it turned out that there was always one of our bikes on the front row, which means that in terms of pure speed we are competitive, but over the distance we are not at the level of Ducati. They are able to conserve tires and brake better. In the UK I had the pace to stay with Martin and Bagnaia, however after about ten laps, the tires lost grip and I could no longer accelerate. This is also frustrating because we don't understand why. The bike is competitive, but we lose too much in the race. Overall at Borgo Panigale they have figured out how to make the most of the new rear construction. We are lacking in this respect."
Asked about the experimental bike in Lorenzo Savadori's hands this weekend, the Iberian remained evasive: "I don't know what he's going to try, but I think nothing that pertains properly to 2024."
If the Italian is working towards 2025, the 35-year-old knows that next year he will be in other shores, in this case at Honda in the very role of tester. "I realized that my desire was to discover new things. Today the test rider is super important, because if a manufacturer wants to grow it needs a very strong test team. It's a new life after a career as a rider. Did Sterlacchini leave KTM for HRC? I talked to the top management of the House of the Golden Wing and they know they have to react and change their approach to get back to the front."
Automatic Translation by DeepL
