### “Aprilia’s Struggles Persist: Aleix Espargaro Labels Misano MotoGP Round as ‘Never Competitive’ Amid Frustrating Performance

Aleix Espargaro expressed dissatisfaction with his performance at the Misano MotoGP, describing it as "never competitive". Aprilia's struggles persisted during the San Marino Grand Prix.

Aleix Espargaro admitted that he and all other Aprilia riders lacked competitiveness throughout the entire MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix weekend.

Following a disappointing Aragon Grand Prix where the top-performing Aprilia, ridden by Espargaro, finished in 10th place and 40 seconds behind the winner, there was optimism for better results at Misano. It was anticipated that the higher grip of the Italian circuit's surface would be advantageous for the RS-GP.

Just one Aprilia rider, Maverick Vinales, advanced to Q2 and ended up qualifying in 11th place. The brand did not earn any points in the sprint race.

In the grand prix, Miguel Oliveira was the top performer for Trackhouse Racing, finishing in 11th place, though he was 46 seconds behind the leader.

During the short rain spell of the grand prix, both Espargaro and Vinales, who are teammates on the factory team, made pit stops. Espargaro, who had started in 13th position, ultimately withdrew from the race.

“These past two weekends have been quite disappointing,” Espargaro remarked.

"I feel somewhat disappointed. Despite the outcome of the grand prix, we took a risk by switching to rain tires during a pit stop, but it didn't pay off."

“However, such incidents can occur. Besides that, I didn’t feel competitive throughout the weekend.”

"I didn't perform well after it rained in Aragon on both Saturday and Sunday. We've been lacking something in the last few rounds, and it's frustrating. But that's just the way it is. It's not easy."

Vinales explained that his choice to make a pit stop was influenced by the lack of confidence he felt with his medium tires in the rain, which underscored the grip problems Aprilia experienced in Aragon.

“I began the race using a medium rear tire, which required additional laps to warm up,” Vinales, who ended up in 16th place and a lap behind, explained.

“However, it began to rain, and my experience on the bike became quite unpleasant.”

"I noticed that the rain was intensifying, so I chose to make a pit stop based on my intuition."

"Once I went out and completed a single lap, I had to come back in to switch to dry tires. Honestly, I found a good rhythm after that, but we gave it our best shot."

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