After scoring the third podium at Jerez, Aleix Esparagaro states to keep his feet on the ground. But also believes the 2022 MotoGP title challenge received by Aprilia is real.
The maestro Spaniard is just seven points behind Fabio Quartararo, claiming his position at third in the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend. After winning the third podium in Portugal and Argentina, it was considered the first back-to-back of his MotoGP career.
He admits to missing something on the Aprilia that matches with Quartararo. However, he also believes that they are firmly in the championship hunt at this stage.
On asking about whether he was living his dream, he replied that he would not wake up till Valencia. He further said that he started dreaming in Qatar and will try to keep his foot on the ground. However, according to him, the MotoGP championship title is “real.”
He appreciated the other members of his team and further added that although they all did a great job, they can’t deny that they don’t really have the speed of Fabio. He says that they are missing something because he thinks that if he was not stuck behind Jack Miller and Marc Marquez, he would have been very close to Quartararo and Francesco Bagnaia.
Therefore, his crucial aspect for this year will be consistency, making no mistakes, and just being there.
He also said that they have almost completed 33 percent of the championship and are just seven points behind Fabio.
Espargaro's podium at Jerez means Aprilia has forfeited rebates for results contested after returning to MotoGP in 2015. It means that Aprilia will no longer be able to test in-season with its race riders. They will also have to reduce their engine allocation from nine to seven in 2023. Because of this, they will not be able to freely develop engines and aerodynamics free for the next season.
Addressing this issue, Espargaro states that it will make the life of Aprilia’s engineer stressful. Although he has never liked losing the concessions, he believes it is fair given the performance of the RS-GP group now.
According to him, if they are in the sixth race and are seven points from the leader, the bike is working pretty well. Therefore, it is fair to lose the concession and fight with the ones having similar weapons.
He expects a lot from the engineer of Aprilia and at the same time, knows that they will be more stressed in Noale. He doesn’t think it will change anything a lot. He said that his life will be easier as he has a test at Le Mans in Mugello. Because of this, he will have more time to go home and cycle. He is not stressed but finds it arduous to reach the level that they have already reached. The engine will have to last a little bit more and he thinks that the engineers will do it.