Present in the MotoGP paddock for twelve years now, Aleix Espargaro has turned a page in his career, and is starting another. A little earlier in the season, during the Catalan Grand Prix last May, the Spaniard announced his retirement as a regular rider for Aprilia. His time with the Italian manufacturer left some great moments, including his first victory in Argentina in 2022.
Despite a difficult start with the Italian brand since his arrival in 2017, the native of Granollers has never given up. The performance level of the RS-GP was the result of a lot of work, thanks to beneficial technical feedback from Aleix Espargaro. In all these years spent on circuits around the world, he was able to achieve three victories, seven pole positions, eleven podiums and a fifth place in the final race before the end.
“Hard work beats talent”
In his latest statements, the Spaniard spoke about his time in MotoGP. Giving a fairly clear assessment of his career, Aleix Espargaro admitted that he may not have been talented, but his hard work allowed him to climb the ranks and become the driver he is now.
“There's a phrase a lot of people use: hard work beats talent – and I truly believe it's true. I always felt in my career that I was less talented than many of my peers, but by working very hard, using all the effort, all the resources of my team, all the people around, having a good team around and being smart you can do what you want. I would like to be remembered as someone who never gave up.”
“I was extremely focused [avant la course]. I am very proud to be able to change direction after a [début de journée] very difficult. I cried on the grid so once the light turned green, I was focused on the race so I'm very proud of that, but when I crossed the checkered flag, I started to cry, I didn't see anything. I stopped with Jorge and he started repeating to me: “We did it, we did it, it's yours too.” It was amazing to say goodbye to all the fans here in Catalonia, with my best friend world champion, the last time for me with Aprilia is a 10/10. That’s why I say I’m a really, really lucky person, the luckiest person.”
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In Brief
At the end of the Barcelona GP, Aleix Espargaro ended his career as a starting driver. While taking on the role of tester for Honda, the Spaniard made some revelations about his move to the premier category. According to him, he had to work twice as hard as the others to get to the top.
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