Aleix Espargaro of Aprilia believes his “hope” of competing for MotoGP Italian Grand Prix championship was dashed as he “lost 15 laps” trying to pass Valentino Rossi’s racers.
Espargaro qualified sixth in Sunday’s 23-lap Mugello race and finished third for the fourth time in a row.
But his chances of winning on Aprilia’s local track were dashed by issues overtaking VR46 Ducati racers Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini, with Espargaro heaping admiration on the front-row starters.
Espargaro remarked after his race, “I’m thrilled, satisfied.” I wanted to compete for the win, but I couldn’t since I spend so much time with the VR46 people.
“They did a very good job because they don’t have much experience, they made no mistakes, they were fast, I was expecting more mistakes but they didn’t [make them].
“So, it was difficult for me to overtake them. I lost 15 laps behind them. So, bravo to them and when I was able to overtake them it was too late.
“But anyway, I’m very happy. It was a very good weekend for everybody for Aprilia.
“I knew starting from seventh place would be very difficult, but overall I’m happy. It’s my fourth podium in a row.”
Espargaro rode a fresh engine at Mugello, allowing him to stay in the slipstream of the Ducatis.
However, he claims that his motorbike had nothing to do with his defeat, instead conceding that he “wasn’t spectacular on the overtakes.”
“I have to say that today the engine was not an excuse,” he added. “The bike was fast, the bike was good. I didn’t lose any ground with the Ducatis on the straight.
“But I was not brilliant on the overtakes.
“For example, in the first part of the race I was in front of Fabio but he was able to overtake me and to overtake the Ducati guys easier.
“I was a lot of time stuck behind them. So, was not the problem of the engine, the engine was fast.”
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Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, Grand Prix, MOTO, Moto racing, Motocross, MotoGP, MXGP
