Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales are in the last year of their contract with Aprilia in MotoGP and, despite their good performances, everything indicates that the team is considering replacing at least one of them.
There are strong rumors in the international press about an alleged offer to Fabio Quartararo – who chose to stay at Monster Energy Yamaha. However, Aprilia Racing’s CEO, Massimo Rivola, has already admitted that Enea Bastianini could be an interesting rider.
If Aprilia really has to give up one of its riders to renew the pair in 2025, the sacrificed one could be Espargaró. According to the website GP-Inside.com, the solution would be a contract as a test rider, with the possibility of making wildcard appearances or as a substitute rider.
Age plays against #41, who will soon be 35 years old – Viñales is only 29. He himself does not rule out ending his career after the current contract. In terms of performance, the final classification of 2023 shows a certain balance between both of them (they were separated by only two points).
In this start of the season, Espargaró beat Viñales in both main races, but in Portugal Viñales would have been on the podium if it weren’t for a bike failure. Espargaró never entered that fight and crossed the finish line in eighth place.
