The MotoGP Indian GP ended with Aleix Espargaró retiring. While fighting for the top five, with less than ten laps to go, he was betrayed by his Aprilia, which had technical issues.
Visibly frustrated, the rider admitted that the RS-GP often has problems in high temperatures: ‘I don’t know. The bike stopped, it’s a shame. Whenever it’s very hot, we struggle; it’s not the first time, it’s something we need to improve. The bike was overheating, it was very difficult to ride. The bike was competitive, but it was tough due to the heat’.
Despite the outcome, Espargaró was pleased with his performance, believing he could have achieved fourth place: ‘I was feeling good. I think I was riding very, very well, very fast in the high 1m45s. I had more rear tire than [Brad] Binder and Joan [Mir], so I believe fourth place was very possible. But the bike stopped’.
Questioned about whether there is anything Aprilia can do to improve these issues, Espargaró replied: ‘This is a very good question, but we have not been able to improve. It has always been the same in the last two, three seasons – I would even say four seasons. It has always been very difficult for us in hot conditions and with this amount of fairing, aerodynamics, it is even worse. So, we have to improve because it is not only the rider who suffers, but also the bike suffers when it is this hot’.
The Granollers rider also stated: ‘Every season is the same when we go to Asia. Hopefully they can do something, but it is difficult because there is not much time’.
