SOLID PERFORMANCE AND SIXTH PLACE FOR ALEIX ESPARGARÓ IN PORTUGAL

LORENZO SAVADORI CONTINUES TO IMPROVE AND EARNS HIS FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

THE APRILIA RS-GP, PUT TO THE TEST AFTER THE GOOD START IN QATAR, CONFIRMS ITS STATUS AS A GROWING PROJECT
Aleix Espargaró rode his Aprilia RS-GP to a sixth-place finish in the Portuguese GP, held on the Portimão track, keeping the gaps to a minimum: just over 8 seconds behind the winner and less than 4 from the podium.

It is a nice result that represents his third top-ten finish in the first three races. Never before had Aleix started a championship this well with Aprilia, so much that he is lying sixth in the overall standings. And the result could have been even better, but after a warm-up session where he had demonstrated a better pace than the one he had during the race, number 41 had to reckon with the highest heat of the weekend which conditioned the performance of the medium tyre chosen for the rear.

Aleix and Aprilia were put to the test after the good performance in Qatar and the RS-GP confirmed its status as an outstanding and growing project, while Aleix demonstrated great skill managing the race, in spite of the unexpected difficulties he had to face.

There is good news from the other side of the garage as well, confirming the improvements seen throughout the weekend and, thanks in part to a few crashes, Lorenzo Savadori earned his first championship points, finishing 14th.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'

"After the warm-up session where I had started on a used tyre and felt very good, I may have expected something more from this race. But we mustn’t forget the path that has brought us this far, battling in the leading group three races in a row, with speed and without mistakes. To be even more incisive, I was lacking a bit of grip at the rear, with the asphalt 20 degrees hotter than this morning, maybe choosing the hard tyre wouldn’t have been such a gamble. Without ever testing it thoroughly during the weekend, we didn’t feel confident enough and, all things considered, we continue demonstrating our value anyway. I am having more fun than ever in the saddle. I'm stoked and I can’t wait to get back on the track to see what satisfaction we’ll be able to take home next."

LORENZO SAVADORI
"My first points in the MotoGP World Championship are certainly an important detail, but the experience I continue to build race after race is worth more than anything else. Our goal is still to reduce the gap behind the leaders, as well as behind my teammate, and the results will come as a result. I lost a lot of ground in the early stages of the race today. My difficulties braking and cornering are accentuated with a full tank, whereas I was then able to maintain a pace similar to the group ahead of me."