Injured Espargaro Determined to Race in Germany Despite Pain, Vinales Eyes Podium Finish

Aleix Espargaro, despite his injury, plans to participate in this weekend's German MotoGP, stating he is "still not okay, but I want to give it a try."

Aleix Espargaro plans to head to the German MotoGP at the eleventh hour to extend his treatment for a broken right hand.

The Aprilia factory star, who plans to retire at the end of this season and has recently been announced as a test rider for Honda in 2025, sustained a fracture to the fifth metacarpal of his right hand following a severe crash during the Sprint race at Assen on Saturday.

Espargaro mentioned that his hand hasn't fully healed yet. He described the injury as particularly challenging because it impacts the hand he uses to control the throttle. Espargaro also took a hard fall during Friday's practice session.

“I struggle with moving around and it’s quite painful, but I still want to attempt it.”

“I plan to keep up with my therapy sessions until Thursday, and then I’ll head to the Sachsenring just in time to try and participate in Friday’s Free Practice 1.”

Espargaro must undergo a medical examination on Thursday to be cleared to race at Sachsenring.

However, considering he was medically cleared for the warm-up session last Sunday in Assen before pulling out because of pain, it would be unexpected if he doesn't get the go-ahead to at least try out his hand on Friday.

In the meantime, Aprilia finds itself lacking its usual stand-in for Espargaro, as test rider Lorenzo Savadori is also injured after participating as a wild-card entrant during Saturday's Dutch Grand Prix.

In the meantime, Maverick Vinales, who secured a podium finish in the Assen Sprint, achieved a fifth-place finish in the race on Sunday.

The Spanish rider was on course for his first RS-GP podium at Sachsenring in 2022, but a malfunction in his ride-height device compelled him to withdraw from the race.

He experienced an engine breakdown during the German Grand Prix last year, and later investigations showed that it had been acting up throughout the entire weekend.

Vinales mentioned that, although Sachsenring isn't among his top tracks, he feels optimistic about performing well this weekend.

“I’ve secured multiple podium finishes and pole positions in Germany. I’m bringing the enthusiasm from Assen with me, feeling motivated and focused on performing well ahead of the summer break.”

Pedro Acosta's crash on the final lap at Assen has given Vinales a 17-point advantage over the KTM newcomer in the battle for fifth place in the world championship and the best position among non-Ducati riders.

Vinales is set to become part of Acosta's existing Tech3 team next season, while Aprilia will introduce a completely new factory roster featuring Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi.

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