“We have to accept that we will be hurt more than in the past”

Aleix Espargaro (Granollers, 7-30-1989) ensures that his current ranking, 11th, 52 points behind the leader Bagnaia, does not reflect what he sees in his daily life: faster and he feels stronger than in 2022 when he led the championship after his victory in Argentina. A man with very clear ideas, this is what he conveyed in this interview.

Last year, the start of the season was better than this; and on a bike that probably wasn’t as good as it is now. How would you evaluate this first part of the championship?

In terms of pure speed, performance and feeling, for me this year is better. That’s clear. I feel faster and stronger than last season. But in the end, my feelings don’t matter. What matters is how many points I have in the championship standings, and I have fewer points than last year. I think there were a lot of circumstances that didn’t allow me to really perform on Sunday, but overall, I felt that I was faster than last year and I had a better bike.

Any idea why the set isn’t rendering? Is it just bad luck?

No, I don’t like to say bad luck. The bike is very good, but we are having a lot of problems with the front tire pressure. I can’t really ride at the practice level when someone is behind me. This is the biggest difference. But, in the end they are reasons. The important thing is to be fast on Sunday, but we cannot perform on Sunday like Friday or Saturday.

Why is the bike better than last year?

I think it’s better everywhere. It is slightly better, maybe 5% better in braking, 5% better in cornering speed and 5% better in engine performance. Overall, I think the bike is faster than the 22.

So do you consider that Aprilia has taken a big step forward?

Ducati is very powerful. Last year’s rookies were already experienced and there was no difference between the ’22 Ducati and the ’23 Ducati. So all Ducatis are fast and strong, and it makes it harder for everyone.

You had a hard time dating, didn’t you?

Yes, this is one of our biggest problems. I think one of the reasons why I didn’t perform as well as I could have been the starts and the first laps.

is it just a clutch issue?

Just a question of the launch system. We are not at the level of our competitors. They improved more than us, because it’s not worse than last year, but the others are better.

Is having four Aprilias on the grid a help for you or for Aprilia?

So far, we’ve been pretty unlucky. The satellite team didn’t help us much when it came to trying new things or whatever, because Miguel didn’t have much luck and Raúl struggled to adapt to the bike. But overall, there were some races like in Portimao, which was great to see three Aprilias in the top ten.

How has the new GP format changed the way you approach the weekend?

It’s more stressful than in the past. Very stressful. This is the biggest difference. We still need to adapt a bit to try to enjoy more. For me, it’s very important to enjoy, and right now I’m a bit stressed because it seems like every session you have to be fast to get into the top ten. And sometimes, you lose a little bit of concentration and you don’t really prepare for the race.

Do you like sprint racing? are you enjoying

These are two different questions. Whether I like it and whether I enjoy it are two different questions. I don’t like it, but sometimes you enjoy riding the bike at the limit like in a qualifying session. Because usually, due to tire wear, fuel consumption and so on, we cannot ride a bike at the racing limit. But you can do it in sprint races because they’re so short and you’re not worried about the tires and everything else. Just go all the way. It is very beautiful. You really enjoy riding these types of bikes to the limit. But because of the aggressive nature of people and because of the lines that everyone makes, sometimes it’s hard to have fun. I know this is a bit strange answer.

You’ve been at the World Cup for a long time and you’ve seen them in all colors. Do you think MotoGP is on the right track?

This is a good question. In terms of popularity, not at all. We are not at our best moment, because I remember when I started the championship, 12, 13, 14, 15 years ago, almost all the GPs were full of people. Ultimately, it’s a show. We run for the people. Without fans, there’s no point in us racing around the world. So right now, it’s something we need to understand how to improve, how to engage more with the fans. This is the most important.

Don’t you think that everything done this year is going in the right direction?

Yes, but for me, we should have done it a long time ago. But this year is the first time I’ve seen something change in the championship. I think it’s going in the right direction, but unfortunately it’s not a situation where it can be turned around and changed from one day to the next. So hopefully it will bear fruit in the future.

You started with Aprilia in 2017. Did you ever think that six years later the European factories, and especially the Italian ones, would be where they are today?

Absolutely. The world is crazy. Everything is very fast. When I came from Suzuki to Aprilia, many people thought it was the end of my career, but I really believed in the project. I really believe in myself, my abilities, my work. I really trust my work. Now, six years later, seven years later, I really put the bike on top of the world, one of the best bikes. We won the races. Let’s fight for the title. We have made many podiums. Not only me, my teammate also made many podiums. So I’m proud of what we’ve achieved on this journey with Aprilia.

Didn’t you think Ducati, especially Dall’Igna, was taking the championship by storm?

Nope. Dall’Igna was just smarter than the others, but it wasn’t his fault. She just keeps getting better. he and romano [Albesiano, ingeniero de Aprilia] They are better than Japanese and other brands.

Is aerodynamic development a good thing for the sport?

No, for two reasons. The first is that we are making the railways unsafe because we are going too fast everywhere, and the railways are becoming too small and dangerous. We spend a lot. And harder to catch. So yes, bikes are better. The bikes were very fast, but at the end of the day, the people at home didn’t care if we ran 1:55 or 1:36. What they want is a show. What they want is a show. I think the aerodynamics are not in favor of the spectacle.

Do you think the rules should be changed before 2027?

Now these meetings are not easy, because there are many things around. But, if anyone knows in what direction to improve the show, we should do it.

Your brother Pol, Bastianini, Oliveira, Marc Márquez… many riders were injured. What are the pilots concerned about at the moment?

The problem is that everything is so equal. So everyone is trying to risk a little more to make a difference, more than in the past. That’s why there are many falls, more tension in the new format. I think it’s hard to change it. I think we have to live with these kinds of races. We have to deal with more injuries than in the past, that’s for sure. I don’t think it will change.

Were you surprised by Dani Pedrosa’s performance in Jerez?

The truth is, no.

But after four years of retirement, after three years of not going out…

Dani’s talent is huge. He tested a lot in Jerez and the KTM improved a lot. So if you put everything in the cocktail, it’s clear to me that I can fight for the top ten. He probably didn’t think he was that fast in training. For example, I was a little surprised at how fast he was in the beginning. But for me, Dani is one of the best drivers in the history of the sport, so I’m not surprised by his speed.

Does this mean young drivers aren’t that fast? Or that today’s bikes allow you to take all the potential to the point of bringing races closer?

For now, it’s all in the details. If you check, Dani was very fast, but he didn’t beat the two factory drivers in either of the two races. So that means it’s fast, but on the same bike, active riders are faster. The riders that Dani beat did not use the same bike. So Dani’s level is high, he’s really good, but nothing crazy about me.

Do you think Aprilia needs this kind of test rider, as fast as Pedrosa?

This is a very good question. Test structures are especially important because due to current regulations, we cannot test during the season. And with this new schedule, we can’t even test over the weekend because you’re already super fast, and you have a race on Saturday. So even during GGPP you have nothing to prove. Tests are very important. The better the test team and the better the engineers of the test team, the easier it is for the factory.

Is this a job for you when you retire?

maybe. The day I decided to quit I didn’t want to quit completely, kind of 100% to 0. Because I really enjoy testing parts, talking to engineers and building things. I think this might be a good option for me.

When do you see the end of your career? I read something that you said that next year will be the last.

No, I mean normally every year when you finish your contract you have a little stress to renew the contract, to find new places or to stay. It was quite stressful for me at the beginning of last year trying to re-sign the contract with Aprilia. I said, ’24 is my last year on my contract and I can’t be stressed. If I’m in the top five at the start of the season and Aprilia wants to offer me another year on my contract, I’ll sign him. If I’m not fighting at the front, I’m going home. I think I’ve done what I’m supposed to do in this paddock. It won’t be stressful for me.

Do you think the current level of stress could shorten your career?

100% Young riders coming from Moto2 and Moto3 will join MotoGP with this new format, so they will be trained from the start. People quickly adapt to everything. For example, I spoke to Dani after the race and he told me that the new format was crazy. The tension, the stress for the driver is ten times greater than in the past, because of the calendar and the competitiveness. He told me: “On my day, I have no stress; on a bad day, I’ll finish fourth.” Now that’s another story.

How about Dorna’s new requests to the public, to the fans…

It loses a lot of energy with it, but it is necessary to do it. We need more contact with people. We need to put on a better show. We are in 2023. We are not in 2010 anymore, and the stress is greater… and the salaries are not as high.