Aleix Espargaró just missed a top 10 position at the Red Bull Ring on Friday. The now 31-year-old Spaniard has a contract with Aprilia, which he extended until the end of 2022 during the corona lockdown period. However, who will be his new teammate is open. The fact is: Aprilia wants to finally decide the Andrea Iannone case by October. The doping offender is temporarily suspended until June 2021.
Espargaró has clear wishes. “I have already stated several times that Andrea Dovizioso is my favorite MotoGP rider,” emphasizes the Catalan. “It’s about how he drives the races, how he works, and also about his character. I’m completely different and have a lot more ups and downs than him. I can learn a lot from ‘Dovi’ as a driver. He can also bring a lot of information. Our engineers could also learn a lot. “
Espargaró sees a lot of potential synergies: «It would be fantastic to have Dovi as a team-mate at Aprilia. If I could drive at his level or even faster, that would further improve my skills as a driver. I’m upset because we’re just not getting the results that we could with this bike that is better than the 2019 model. I hate to say we need more time – but that’s the reality. We would also have to drive more on other slopes, on stretches with long passages. Unfortunately, those slopes that I like most, such as Australia, Thailand or Argentina, are missing in the new calendar. “
As a reminder: The older of the two Espargaró brothers fought verbose battles with his team-mate Andrea Iannone, who was banned for doping allegations, last year and in the winter.
That’s why he takes Dovizioso’s side once again: “It’s clear to me that Aprilia is a real opportunity for him. This is the only MotoGP manufacturer available with an open seat and would be more than welcome. We would treat him very well here. “
Result FP2 MotoGP, Spielberg, 21. August
1. Pol Espargaró, KTM, 1: 23.638 min
2. Nakagami, Honda, + 0,266 sec
3. Mir, Suzuki, + 0.269
4. Rins, Suzuki, + 0,371
5. Viñales, Yamaha, + 0,422
6. Oliveira, KTM, + 0.480
7. Morbidelli, Yamaha, + 0.549
8. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 0.728
9. Rossi, Yamaha, + 0.740
10. Binder, KTM, + 0.789
11. Lecuona, KTM, + 0.791
12. Alex Marquez, Honda, + 0.825
13. Crutchlow, Honda, + .922
14. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 1.005
15. Dovizioso, Ducati, + 1.136
16. Pyrrhus, Ducati, + 1,169
17. Miller, Ducati, + 1,287
18. Petrucci, Ducati, + 1.347
19. Smith, Aprilia, + 1,387
20. Bradl, Honda, + 1,419
21. Rabat, Ducati, + 1,583
Combined timesheet MotoGP, Spielberg, August 21
1. Pol Espargaró, KTM, 1: 23.638 min
2. Miller, Ducati, + 0,221 sec
3. Dovizioso, Ducati, + 0.225
4. Oliveira, KTM, + 0.260
5. Nakagami, Honda, + 0,266
6. Mir, Suzuki, + 0.269
7. Rins, Suzuki, + 0,371
8. Viñales, Yamaha, + 0,422
9. Morbidelli, Yamaha, + 0.549
10. Binder, KTM, + 0.613
11. Lecuona, KTM, + 0.663
12. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 0.728
13.Rossi, Yamaha, + 0.740
14. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 0.743
15. Alex Marquez, Honda, + 0.825
16. Pyrrhus, Ducati, + 0.870
17. Petrucci, Ducati, + 0.879
18. Crutchlow, Honda, + .922
19. Smith, Aprilia, + 0,985
20. Rabat, Ducati, + 1,168
21. Bradl, Honda, + 1,276
Result Spielberg, MotoGP, FP1, 21.8.
1. Pol Espargaró, KTM, 1: 24.193 min
2. Dovizioso, Ducati, + 0.044 sec
3. Nakagami, Honda, + 0,185
4. Rins, Suzuki, + 0,380
5. Morbidelli, Yamaha, + 0.395
6. Zarco, Ducati, + 0.462
7. Oliveira, KTM, + 0.525
8. Miller, Ducati, + 0,531
9. Mir, Suzuki, + 0.550
10. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 0.560
11. Viñales, Yamaha, + 0,586
12. Petrucci, Ducati, + 0.644
13.Rossi, Yamaha, + 0.686
14. Crutchlow, Honda, + .751
15. Lecuona, KTM, + 0.798
16. Binder, KTM, + 0.812
17. Pyrrhus, Ducati, + 0.959
18. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 0.972
19. Alex Marquez, Honda, + 1,056
20. Smith, Aprilia, + 1,104
21. Bradl, Honda, +1,178
22. Rabat, Ducati, + 1,536
