SPRINT RACE - FIRST PODIUM FOR ESPARGARÓ AND APRILIA IN QATAR, THIRD PLACE FOR ALEIX AFTER A SPECTACULAR COMEBACK RIDE, MAVERICK NINTH
10 March 2024 - Aleix Espargaró, protagonist throughout the weekend with a spot on the front row in Q2 and a podium finish in the Sprint Race, had his race conditioned by a lack of grip at the rear. The Spaniard was still able to contain the damage though, finishing eighth and clinching important championship points.
The script was similar to yesterday for Maverick, who lost a few positions in the initial melee and had to battle in the pack. Nevertheless, signs of improvement appeared, especially at the mid-race point when he began to improve his pace, closing the gap behind his adversaries. Viñales finished the race in tenth place.
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ, #41: "I can’t help but be pleased with today’s result after what we demonstrated throughout the weekend. Something wasn’t working in terms of grip at the rear from the first lap, so I wasn’t able to battle like yesterday. In any case, I am still leaving Qatar knowing that I have a competitive bike and, despite thinking I missed a good opportunity today, the championship has only just begun."
MAVERICK VIÑALES, #12: "Compared with yesterday, the feeling improved significantly. We still need to figure out which points we need to improve on – which are just small details anyway – but we still need to identify the right way forward. It was an interesting weekend that allowed us to collect important information anyway. I spent the race today behind various riders and various bikes, which let me identify our strong points and our weaknesses. One of the points to improve is undoubtedly managing rear tyre wear, which keeps me from being as fast as I’d like to be at the moment."
SPRINT RACE, 9 MARCH. FIRST PODIUM FOR ESPARGARÓ AND APRILIA IN QATAR, THIRD PLACE FOR ALEIX AFTER A SPECTACULAR COMEBACK RIDE, MAVERICK NINTH.
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