Everything seems to be going well for Aleix Espargaró when it comes to the new bike, with the Aprilia Racing rider being very satisfied with the performance of this year’s RS-GP, without forgetting, however, that this is also one of the most difficult bikes to ride.
Third on the first day of testing in Qatar, #41 did not hide his happiness with the work done, although there are points to improve: ‘I’m super happy. It’s just a test but I’m having a lot of fun this year and I really like the 2024 bike. The Malaysia circuit and this one are completely different in terms of grip, I’m fast and I’m having a lot of fun especially in terms of pace. I think I have and can improve a little in attacking the times but the pace with used tires is very strong so I’m happy’.
The Spaniard pointed out some differences from the previous model of the Italian bike and did not hesitate to consider it one of the most difficult to ride… but also better: ‘It’s always difficult to judge just one thing… there is less weight, the stiffness of the chassis and swingarm is a bit different, the aerodynamics is completely different, everything has been updated and the aerodynamics obviously is the biggest thing you can see, but in terms of stability the bike has improved a lot. With used tires, it is much easier to maintain lap times and that is very good. Sometimes when there is not much grip, as it was at the start of the day, it is difficult to understand how to ride the bike because you have to push much harder, it is not an easy bike and in fact, the 2024 bike is one of the most difficult I have ever ridden, but at the same time it is more competitive’.
Espargaro also spoke about a previously mentioned and characteristic aspect of the bike: ‘Due to the downforce, the bike is very heavy… I don’t know if heavy is the right word, but changing direction, throwing the bike… Sometimes if you don’t have the right grip, you have to force the bike and it’s not easy if you don’t have grip on the rear. It’s not easy to understand how to do it, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is to have a competitive bike’.
