Espargaro Sheds Light on Ducati’s Sunday Surge: A Deep Dive into MotoGP’s Sprint and Race Dynamics

Aleix Espargaro's explanation for Ducati's quick progress from Sprint races to Sunday's MotoGP events

Aleix Espargaro: "Therefore, it's for this reason we're able to narrow the gap during the Sprint races, and similarly, why we can also be more competitive in the qualifying rounds. But then…"

In every one of the ten MotoGP Sprint races this season, Ducati has been accompanied by at least one different manufacturer in achieving podium finishes.

However, by the time Sunday afternoon arrived, the situation had drastically changed.

Ducati has emerged victorious in nine out of ten Grand Prix competitions, securing all top three positions in the last seven consecutive events, following their resolution of vibration problems at Jerez.

Aprilia emerged as Ducati's primary competitor, securing victories in three Sprint races and delivering the sole Grand Prix loss to a Desmosedici this year, occurring at COTA.

Nonetheless, the only occasion an RS-GP secured a podium finish on a Sunday this year was during the American round, in contrast to the 'men in black' achieving eight podium finishes in Sprint races.

What leads Ducati to make such a significant leap from Saturday to Sunday?

Following his celebration of securing the top spot and subsequently finishing a tight third place (2.0 seconds behind) at the Silverstone Sprint, Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro found himself unable to stop Ducati riders from dominating the top five positions (and securing seven out of the top eight spots) in Sunday's Grand Prix.

According to Espargaro, Ducati's advantage comes from having a larger number of motorcycles and, consequently, more data compared to other manufacturers. He believes that Ducati racers face a constraint due to the front wheel locking, especially when using the soft rear tire, which is common during qualifying sessions and the majority of Sprint races.

Espargaro attributes Aprilia's achievement of securing three pole positions this season to the same reason.

However, the Ducatis experience less front wheel locking when utilizing medium or hard rear tires for the entire duration of the grand prix.

"Espargaro remarked that there appears to be a limitation with the soft tyre, after finishing sixth, 9.5 seconds behind Enea Bastianini this Sunday."

"I believe the issue is with the front; it appears they are encountering some type of locking issue, which is causing the rear soft to force them into the corners."

"This explains why we can achieve proximity in the Sprints, and similarly, why we can narrow the gap during qualifying."

"However, when they're equipped with a tough back tire, it provides significant grip, and without any front wheel lock-up, it becomes challenging for me to compete with them."

"Today, the rankings at Silverstone speak volumes on their own."

Espargaro, after securing a victory at his home Catalunya Sprint and achieving two pole positions earlier this year, marked his 329th Grand Prix appearance on Sunday. This milestone places him third in the historical standings, trailing only behind Valentino Rossi, with 432 starts, and Andrea Dovizioso, who has 346.

At the conclusion of this season, the 35-year-old will hang up his racing gloves and transition to a role as a test rider for Honda.

Maverick Vinales, who will join KTM in 2025, currently holds the highest position among riders not on Ducatis in the world championship, sitting in fifth place. At Silverstone, Vinales faced challenges with rear tire traction, which led to a 13th place finish.

Next season, Ducati's lineup will shrink to six motorcycles as Pramac transitions to using Yamaha.

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