Aleix Espargaró finished fifth in the Sprint race of the French MotoGP Grand Prix, but he was not satisfied. The Aprilia rider believes he could have done better if it weren’t for the two Long Lap penalties for the false start.
The Spaniard did not hide his frustration with what happened, stating: ‘I think I missed a good opportunity. I am really disappointed because I am not really understanding the clutch point; I am really struggling, I don’t like it. I was very close to burning the start in other rounds, and in this race I didn’t gain any time, but I moved the bike, so rules are rules‘.
Pleased with his pace during the race, Espargaró believes that considering the penalty, the result was not bad: ‘I think only Jorge [Martín] was a bit faster than me, but the bike was working well, I was extremely fast, feeling very good. It’s a shame, but with two Long Laps to finish fifth is good‘.
Asked to explain the difficulties with the clutch, the rider clarified: ‘The clutch point is always a bit different and it’s difficult to understand when the bike starts to move or not. You always want to be ready to start, and I am struggling. I really don’t like this and we need to improve in that area‘.
