MAVERICK IMPROVES IN THE FINALE TO TAKE FIFTH

ALEIX CRASHES OUT AND WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH Q1

It was not a relaxing day in the Aprilia garage, with two particularly lively sessions contributing. On the first day at the Malaysian Sepang circuit, Maverick took advantage of almost every outing to find the right feeling. He finally found it in the afternoon session, where he did the fifth-best time, which sends him straight through to Q2.

Practice sessions were complicated for Aleix, on the other hand, victim of a crash this morning and three more in the afternoon, the last of which left him with some scratches. His lack of feeling with the front has already been analysed and understood by number 41’s crew, which gives Espargaró moderate confidence for tomorrow.

ALEIX
"I’ve definitely had better days, but I can’t say that I’m particularly worried. We are well aware of the problem, so tomorrow we’ll go back to a standard solution and I’m sure I’ll be able to be fast. It will be a demanding Saturday since I have to go through Q1, plus the last crash left me a bit scratched up and that won’t make life easy. We are riders and we know this can happen. The important thing is to know where to make changes."

MAVERICK
"A strange Friday on this track. We know that in the first session grip is usually poor and then it gradually improves, but today I did not have a better feeling in the afternoon. Anyway, in the last time attack with a new tyre, I felt better, so that’s a starting point for tomorrow. We made some comparisons between various systems to improve thermal comfort in the saddle and I must thank Aprilia for their quick response in spite of the little time available. Today the temperatures were not extreme, so it’s difficult to evaluate. We’ll analyse the data and understand more as early as the Sprint Race."