MotoGP, Rivola: “The delay with Aleix’s renewal is not a strategy”

The French GP, which played out this weekend at Le Mans, once again smiled down on the Aprilia and Aleix Espargaró. The Spaniard powered the RS-GP to the podium in fact, after an impeccable race in which he was able to fend off attacks from the current world champion and local hero Fabio Quartararo.

“Aleix did very well and ran a clean race, despite battling with the rider who had all the local support”, commented Massimo Rivola at the end of the weekend. “His renewal is a priority and we have no tactics though despite the uncertainty, Espargaró is still very fast, so maybe we’ll keep him in suspense until Christmas. Joking aside, his contract renewal won’t be long in coming.”

Rivola: “Aleix and the Aprilia have grown together”

“Aleix’s pathway has run parallel to the development of the Aprilia, of which he has been an integral part”, continues Massimo. “He’s always been a fast rider, but never had the right bike with which to demonstrate that. Now that he does, he’s fully demonstrating his skills and making us very happy in the process.”

The one sore point of the weekend was, once again, Viñales’ race start: “Maverick is fast too, but he wasn’t able to make a good start and found himself at the back of the group at the end of lap one and then had to catch up. If he were able to make better starts, we’d have two riders capable of fighting at the front”.

Translated by Heather Watson

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