Gresini Racing » News MotoGP » ALEIX FAST STRAIGHT AWAY, MAVERICK RACKS UP MILES ON HIS RS-GP

ALEIX FAST STRAIGHT AWAY, MAVERICK RACKS UP MILES ON HIS RS-GP

10 September 2021

On the spectacular MotorLand de Aragón track, Aleix Espargaró got off to an outstanding start in the first sessions of the MotoGP weekend. The Spaniard, historically fast on this asphalt, confirmed this statistic once again today, putting the second best time of the day on the boards. Good performance in his time attack, but also comforting in terms of pace on used tyres.

Today was also the day that marked Maverick Viñales’ official début wearing Aprilia colours, a cautious and prudent first approach in light of his scarce experience astride the RS-GP. In any case, Maverick was able to shave off important tenths between the two sessions, working on rather long outings and trying to find the right confidence in his new ride.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“I am extremely satisfied with today’s results, both on the time attack front and in terms of our work with used tyres in view of the race. If I’m honest, I still don’t have that perfect feeling. I’m able to be fast, but in terms of feeling, I think there is still room for improvement. This morning, the grip on the asphalt was very poor and then it gradually got better, but thinking ahead to Sunday, when rather high temperatures are expected, we will clearly need to work well on tyre choice and setup.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES
“On this first day, we did what we had set out to do, which was to turn as many laps as possible. Although the sensations were good in any case, there is still the fact that I don’t have that much experience on the RS-GP yet and I need to increase my confidence. We were able to improve consistently, shaving off more than a second between the two sessions, so that is positive. We need to keep working this way. Considering the high level here in MotoGP, it’s the details and especially the rider’s confidence that make all the difference.”