Aprilia MotoGP effort in turmoil
The extreme, furnace-like temperatures at the Thai Grand Prix were a pleasant cool breeze compared to the overheated mood of Aprilia riders Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone. Espargaro was an emotional wreck after an electronics failure ended an inspired top 10 opportunity. While the flagging fortunes of Aprilia’s RS-GP machine and the resulting tense team atmosphere were further exposed by Iannone who finished a full 40 seconds down in 15th place.
Espargaro said an ‘electronics failure’ stopped his bike with a nonfunctioning gearbox and its engine brake locked.
“I had no control of the throttle and it was almost impossible to get back the pits,” he said afterwards. “It’s very frustrating. It doesn’t sound good to talk about yourself but I feel I am riding very, very good and stressing the RS-GP to the maximum. I have very fast teammate and you can see the difference between us.”
Iannone, meanwhile, was equally heated, brutally complaining about an under-performing engine compared to Espargaro’s that he said was hammered by rivals in acceleration from third to sixth gear. “My hands are tied. It is inexplicable that in the slipstream I go half-a-second faster. I am a professional and I always give everything but I expect more from Aprilia. I don’t ask for the same acceleration as Ducati but at least the same as my teammate.”
‘My hands are tied... but I expect more from Aprilia’