Ducati dominated the MotoGP Catalan GP last weekend, placing three bikes on the podium of the main race with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) as the winner. A very different scenario from what happened at the same track last year, where Aprilia was clearly superior.
This time, the best rider for the Noale manufacturer was Aleix Espargaró, in fourth place – not far from the podium. When asked about what changed after the free practice sessions where Aprilia seemed stronger than Ducati, the Spaniard replied:
– It’s a good question, I don’t have the answer. They tested here, they chose Barcelona as a test track, so surely they have made progress. They beat my race from last year by 20 seconds, which is crazy! I tried everything, fought like a lion throughout the race, trying to control in the beginning. Then halfway through the race I said, ‘This is it, destroy the tire.’ I tried everything I could. But they saw the three leading bikes on the podium and Aprilia was fourth. So, I tried everything, but it wasn’t enough.
Could the fact that there were eight Ducati bikes on the track have helped? Espargaró replied: ‘It’s very difficult to understand. I think it’s everything, it’s about various details, but it’s certain that when they choose this track to test, they improve a lot, they found something in tire management, they found something with the medium for sure. That’s why testing is very, very important. They have last year’s results here – a one-two for Aprilia. This year they chose Barcelona, we didn’t, and a one-two for Ducati‘.
