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Saturday in Aragon wasn't kind to the Aprilias. The track conditions put the RSGPs to the test, after they had already encountered difficulties in qualifying and ending at the bottom of the Q2. Things didn't go any better in the Sprint, with Aleix's Aprilia out of the running at the first corner after his front locked and Vinales 19th at the bottom of the standings, even behind the Hondas and Yamahas. The only positive note was Oliveira's 5th poisition with the Aprilia satellite team, while the track conditions didn't seem to show signs of improvement.
"The track was dirty ever since we got on the grid," Espargarò explained. "At the start, it was slippert, and I immediately lost positions. So, the first time in braking, my front locked up, and the fall was not soft at all. It's a day to forget."
A difficult Saturday for Aprilia.
"Like in the previous sessions, we had no grip in qualifying, and we had problems figuring out what the best set-up for the bike could be, in roder to try to find some grip, but nothing worked. When the track is that dirty, it's more about trying not to fall than being fast. In normal conditions, I pushed hard, but the track in these conditions is unacceptable. In the sprint, after three laps, we were onlapping 1'50, which is Alonso Lopez's time in the Moto2. I'm not looking for excuses. It was like this for everyone. We have to understand what's going on with the Aprilia. We can't even take advantage of the full life of the tire. It's a bit embarrassing."
The Spanish rider then talked about the track conditions again on Saturday in Aragon.
"After all, we're in Europe. The track was really dirty, but they have the means to clean it here. There's not much more to say, but it was like that for everyone, so we have to work. I went to race direction to warn them that ,in these conditions, the track is dangerous, and their response was 'we know'. That's the way it is. After two years since the last time we raced here, and with all the incredible evolution of these bikes, Marc's pace, which was the best all weekend, was on the 1'48. In 2022, we lapped two seconds faster."
What do you think about Marc's race?
"He's very far from the rest of us. It seems that everything comes easier to him in these conditions. He was already the fastest in better conditions but, with the dirty track, the gap has increased."
Do you think the track conditions also affected the problems Pecco experienced in the Sprint?
"Hard to say. The pace was slower for everyone and, in the sprint, we're all at the limit. If you have some problems, it's hard to recuperate."
Then he went back to talking about the Aprilia's difficulties in adapting.
"We're not looking for excuses. We have to work like everyone else, but we couldn't find a compromise. We did some tests on the fork, raising the bike, we tried everything to generate more grip, but the problem is that, when you you release the throttle, it feels like the bike wants to take off. It's really difficult to ride like that. The only positive note about this weekend so far is that, under normal conditions, we've been competitive. Our analysis of the season so far is that, while Ducati is competitive everywhere, the KTM and Aprilia are like Kryptonite. On Friday, with the track in good conditions, sometimes you couldn't even see the KTM in the paddock. On Saturday, the sides were reversed. Binder and Acosta did a good sprint, while Vinales and I, who were second and third, was a disaster. We don't understand what to do in these conditions. I tried a radical set-up change of the bike without any improvement. It was frustrating."
The only positive note for the Noale manufacturer was Oliveira's performance.
"He was good. He had a good start. But he still took fifteen seconds from the leader. The gap with the rivals is still a lot. It's not a question of finishing on the podium or not, the important thing is being competitive and close to the leader. When you lose a second per lap, that's not a good indicator."
