Espargaro’s Determination on Austria’s Challenging Track and Savadori’s Return with Aprilia’s ‘Lab Bike

Espargaro: Achievements on tough circuits have double the value, Savadori tests 'experimental bike'

Aleix Espargaro: 'I embrace challenges… We'll see if we can excel, as successes on challenging circuits are doubly significant'

Following his successful comeback to the MotoGP (Sprint) podium at Silverstone, where he not only secured the top spot for Aprilia in the qualifying round but also recorded the quickest lap time in the grand prix race, Aleix Espargaro is gearing up for a more demanding competition this coming weekend in Austria.

The Spanish rider, who plans to retire after this season, openly acknowledges that the circuit's abrupt pace changes do not align with his preferred riding technique. Nor do they play to the RS-GP's advantages, which lies in its performance in rapid turns, despite advancements in its capability during intense braking situations.

However, achieving a positive outcome in Austria would be particularly rewarding.

Espargaro mentioned that the Red Bull Ring isn't among his preferred tracks because its stop-and-go nature doesn't complement his riding technique well.

"Nonetheless, I appreciate facing challenges and that's my mindset heading into this weekend."

"I'm eager to return to the circuit. We'll see if we can excel; after all, achieving success on challenging courses holds double the value."

Last year, during the Grand Prix, Espargaro secured the 9th position, whereas his team colleague Maverick Vinales outperformed as the leading Aprilia contender, finishing in sixth place.

Austria has witnessed some significant events in Vinales' career, such as a brake malfunction in 2020 and his departure from Yamaha in the middle of 2021, yet he still finds pleasure in racing at this track.

"The 'Ring is an appealing circuit. Previously, we faced challenges there, but last year I achieved a strong performance, particularly in the qualifying round, where I began from the second position on the grid," he mentioned.

"I am committed to putting in my full effort to identify what we lacked in Silverstone in order to enhance our performance and return to the leading position."

Vinales continues to lead as the highest-ranked rider not on a Ducati in the global championship, holding the fifth spot, closely followed by KTM riders Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder.

This weekend, a fifth Aprilia will hit the track, as test rider Lorenzo Savadori participates in his fourth wild-card event of the year.

The Italian racer has returned to the track following a recovery from several vertebral fractures incurred at Assen, during which Espargaro also sustained a hand injury.

Savadori is set to return to the track on the Aprilia 'test bike', focusing on developing components and concepts for upcoming projects. "I'm eager to return to competition. While I'm not fully recovered, there has been improvement," Savadori remarked.

"I'll be competing using a bike developed in a lab, and we'll be testing various improvements. There's going to be a lot of tasks to tackle, looking ahead as well."

In 2025, Aprilia's lineup will no longer feature Espargaro, who will retire and take on a test riding role with Honda, or Vinales, who plans to move to Tech3 KTM.

In the upcoming season, the team roster for the factory will consist of Jorge Martin, the current front-runner from Pramac Ducati, and Marco Bezzecchi from VR46.

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