Aleix Espargaró comes from a less positive result in the Indian GP. The Spanish rider did not finish the race last Sunday with technical problems forcing the Aprilia Racing rider to retire on the 11th lap.
Asked about the heat currently felt in Japan and whether this will bring problems for Aprilia during the weekend, Aleix replied: ‘Compared to India, it’s not very hot, but it’s still warm which is not very good for the engine and tires. It has never been the ideal circuit for us but we will try to be optimistic. Last year we started with the setup from Aragon and we didn’t get a good result, but this year we will start with the setup from India and it may be better for us. We have been struggling with temperature for two or three years now and we will have many hot circuits ahead, so it’s something we need to improve, we are professionals and we have to do our job.’
Aleix spoke about the time that the riders have to recover between GPs at this stage of the championship, with the stress for the riders increasing and the number of races during the year also increasing. – ‘It’s going to be difficult, I don’t care much about where the GPs are held, this is MotoGP. I wish there was more time to recover from injuries. It’s not about whether we like it or not, if we don’t like the calendar we can stay at home or choose another job, if they schedule 22 races we have to do them. Weekends now are very demanding, the stress is high, we are always under a lot of pressure and I don’t think three weeks are enough to reset. It is what it is, I wish I had more time to recover from injuries and psychologically, but it’s not possible, unfortunately. It’s not possible to continue like this and in this way compared to past seasons, but it has to be, if the riders don’t like it they can go to Superbikes.’
