MotoGP

Aleix Espargaro says he is “proud” to have scored a historic first MotoGP pole for Aprilia at the Argentina Grand Prix after “how far we've suffered” since ...

“We know it can be a good race, but even if it’s a bad race I’m very happy because we are doing steps forward and this is just the base, and what I’m happy with is if this is just the pace we are there. “I just need to push from one lap, the tyre consumption is quite good and the pace is quite strong. “One lap we still need to work, it’s very difficult for me because I need to more feeling, I need more confidence, I need to push more on the limit and still I don’t have that. “But I was very happy with the rhythm so I’m very enthusiastic for tomorrow. “And it’s the first one for Aprilia, it’s a very nice moment. “It’s not super important because the points will come [in the race], but for a rider to feel this speed, to feel that you are the fastest one is always great.

Records will fall and landmarks will be reached should Aprilia and Aleix Espargaro convert pole position for the Argentina MotoGP into a historic win - Vis.

That’s great for the rider.” Coupled with the strong race pace it showed in Qatar, the Spaniard is optimistic today will finally be his and Aprilia’s day. On dry I felt I could fight for the podium in Indonesia, and here, once again yes.

A stunning performance from Espargaro in qualifying at Termas de Rio Hondo earned him pole position – the third of his career, but the first in the modern era ...

It hurts a little, OK, but I’m happy that in the end the effort and the hard work pays off. With the second Aprilia of Vinales starting alongside Pol in fifth, it could well be that there’s not one but two of the manufacturer’s machines at the front. Let’s see, and hopefully the track will keep changing and improving and our Honda will be faster with more grip, but I don’t believe it’ll be as easy as it sounds. Seeing this and everyone in the paddock congratulating me is something that makes me very proud, but again it’s just Saturday.” “It’s great to feel the adrenaline and the speed. It’s only Saturday and it’s a special GP with only one day of practice.

Aleix Espargaro secured Aprilia's first MotoGP pole position in two decades on Saturday for the Argentina GP.

Aprilia I think have a solid combination of riders and also the bike is growing up, so the results have to arrive.” “So if we are able, the two or three riders that we have pace, we are able to push from the beginning and make a fast race. Tomorrow I don’t think I have to analyse a lot the data and the pace of the rest because this weekend has been quite special, just one day of testing. “I’m not the one who have to say if I’m riding in a super high level or not, but I feel good, I feel that I’m competitive. This is improvements of the bike that allows you to be fast and consistent in every track and that’s great for the rider. He told me he had some issues, lack of grip on the qualifying but yeah, I mean coming from different bike, first time here for him in Aprilia, finishing in fifth place is quite remarkable. The level of the bike, the potential of the bike on the wet was better, but on dry I felt that I could fight for the podium in Malaysia and here once again. “In Qatar I felt in the race I was, I don’t know if the strongest one but I felt really, really good on the race,” Espargaro continued. “But I was not fast enough in the middle of the race and I missed the podium. “Yeah, I’m happy, I’m satisfied,” he confirmed, “but sincerely for the rider is nice to be fast on Saturday - because the feeling you get on that lap is always special, is great to do to feel the adrenaline, the speed. “I know it’s not super important because the points will come tomorrow but for a rider to feel the speed, to feel that you are the fastest one, it’s always great. “What makes me happy is that if we are good and we do no mistakes during the season, I have the feeling inside that - I don’t want to talk about top three or championship or whatever but I have the feeling that we can achieve many, many points.

Luca Marini has praised his Valentino Rossi team for giving him “perfect bikes” to qualify third for the MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix after it was severely ...

“We started to work on the problems from the first test, especially after the Qatar race we had much data to understand the areas we needed to work,” Marini added when asked how his team has started to get on top of the GP22’s issues. “Now I think we are going in a good direction, in a good way, we start to fix a lot. “My team did an amazing job, so thanks to them and thanks to Ducati because they prepared – for me – two perfect bikes today and was not so easy for them because they did the work in just eight hours and normally they do it in two days,” Marini said.

Does Aleix Espargaro have what it takes to win a first-ever MotoGP race after dominating Saturday practice and qualifying at the Termas de Rio Hondo.

The former was again sensational in qualifying as he became the only rider to get within four tenths of Espargaro. On dry I felt I could fight for the podium in Indonesia, and here, once again yes. That’s great for the rider. Asked if this level of performance reflects where Aprilia is at present, Espargaro added: “Yes, but in Qatar I felt; I don’t know if I was the strongest one, but I felt really good. “In Indonesia I was also not really fast and the potential of the bike in the wet was better. What does this mean for today’s race?

Aleix Espargaro claimed a first MotoGP pole for Aprilia as the Spaniard held off a late charge from Pramac Ducati's Jorge Martin to earn top spot in ...

We are ready for everything,” he said. This is an extra boost for tomorrow.” We are improving day by day and getting close to the best bikes in the world.

The missing cargo, the result of not one but two planes breaking down between Mandalika and Termas de Rio Hondo, meant that Friday was canceled and the work of ...

I know it’s not super important because the points will come tomorrow, but for a rider to feel this speed, to feel that you are the fastest one is always great.” Because looking at the setting of the other Ducatis, it is more of a safety setting, and we will go more in this direction to have less aggressive reaction from my bike.” He has the experience of how to manage the tires. “The way that the bike reacts to the bumps is how you are using the throttle. The incident did put paid to any hope Quartararo may have had of a front row start. But while Argentina is still very much a rider’s track, the massive progress Aprilia have made with the RS-GP is a big factor. It’s what you do prior to the bumps that determines how the bike is going to behave when you hit the bumps. The bumps in a few places – Turn 11, Turn 1 – weren’t helping, but they weren’t anything out of the ordinary, Miller insisted. Because you can’t obviously keep it on the edge of the tire for very long,” Miller explained. I think it will get better as the track gets more and more clean, but for sure it’s, that’s what it is.” The riders and teams had two days of work on track crammed into a couple of extended sessions. “The track is dirty, you’re pushing, there doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of edge grip, more so than other tracks,” the factory Ducati rider explained.

Argentina Grand Prix poleman Aleix Espargaro led reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo in the MotoGP warm-up session ahead of today's 25-lap race.

Johann Zarco on the second Pramac Ducati completed the top 10 ahead of Suzuki’s Joan Mir, while Miller was 17th. Alex Rins was third on the Suzuki ahead of Pramac Ducati's Jorge Martin, who will launch from second on the grid later today having been denied pole at the death on Saturday. In the early stages of warm-up, Pramac’s Johann Zarco led the way with a 1m39.452, though was soon deposed by poleman Espargaro on the Aprilia.

Aleix Espargaro says he is “proud” to have scored a historic first MotoGP pole for Aprilia at the Argentina Grand Prix after “how far we've suffered” since ...

“We know it can be a good race, but even if it’s a bad race I’m very happy because we are doing steps forward and this is just the base, and what I’m happy with is if this is just the pace we are there. “I just need to push from one lap, the tyre consumption is quite good and the pace is quite strong. “One lap we still need to work, it’s very difficult for me because I need to more feeling, I need more confidence, I need to push more on the limit and still I don’t have that. “But I was very happy with the rhythm so I’m very enthusiastic for tomorrow. “And it’s the first one for Aprilia, it’s a very nice moment. “It’s not super important because the points will come [in the race], but for a rider to feel this speed, to feel that you are the fastest one is always great.

Warm-up results from the Argentine MotoGP at Termas de Rio Hondo, round 3 of the 2022 world championship.

That also means the current 'standard' rear tyre construction, introduced in 2020, has not previously been used at the track. The likes of Fabio Quartararo, Brad Binder and Takaaki Nakagami then moved ahead with soft tyres front and rear. Espargaro, who will start today's race from Aprilia's first pole position of the four-stroke era, was soon back in charge of the timesheets, running the hard front-soft rear tyre combination that is expected to be the favoured choice for the race.

Is today the day for the Spaniard and Aprilia? Warm Up honours went their way; Quartararo and Rins inside top three.

Argentina Grand Prix poleman Aleix Espargaro led reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo in the MotoGP warm-up session ahead of today's 25-lap race.

Johann Zarco on the sister Pramac Ducati completed the top 10 ahead of Suzuki’s Joan Mir, while Miller was 17th. Alex Rins was third on the Suzuki ahead of Jorge Martin on the Pramac Ducati, who will launch from second on the grid later today having been denied pole at the death on Saturday. In the early stages of warm-up, Pramac’s Johann Zarco led the way with a 1m39.452, though was soon deposed by poleman Aleix Espargaro on the Aprilia.

Reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo fears poleman Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia can break away in the MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix having been “surprised” ...

Aleix for sure, he’s the main guy. It hurts a little but I’m happy. “So, about the first position I’m not really surprised.

Aleix Espargaro fended off Jorge Martin to claim his first-ever MotoGP victory and the first for Aprilia in the modern era in a tense Argentina Grand Prix.

But on the following tour the Aprilia rider executed the perfect block pass to take the lead. KTM’s Brad Binder was a further 0.352s behind Bagnaia in sixth, with Maverick Vinales taking seventh on the second of the Aprilias. However, the Aprilia rider ran wide and allowed Martin back through. Espargaro tried again into Turn 5 on lap 20 and once more ran wide. Aleix Espargaro now leads the championship for the first time in his MotoGP career, the Aprilia rider seven points clear of Binder, with Bastianini nine points back in third. Espargaro nailed his run out of the Turn 3 right-hander and capitalised on a headshake for Martin’s Ducati to pull ahead into the braking zone of Turn 5.

Reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo fears poleman Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia can break away in the MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix having been “surprised” ...

Aleix for sure, he’s the main guy. It hurts a little but I’m happy. “About the first position, I’m not really surprised.

One point from two races wasn't a good start, but elimination from MotoGP Q1 in Argentina was possibly Pecco Bagnaia's lowest 2022 point yet.

I was quite fast, I did a 1m39.3s with 16 laps of tyre [compared to 1m38.610s in qualifying], my feeling was quite good with used tyres. Because I was too nervous, looking at riders that are normally complaining a lot about Moto3 riders [cruising around waiting for a tow] but they are doing the same…I was a bit nervous, but it was my mistake.” “I want to say sorry,” said Bagnaia, “but when you are nervous, you do mistakes.

Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia has apologised for braking on the main straight at Termas de Rio Hondo during MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix practice in frustration ...

Then we put on new tyres and I struggled a lot to set a good fast lap time. “So, my feeling was quite good with used tyres. I was wrong, and it was my mistake.

Aleix Espargaro claimed his first ever Grand Prix victory in the ArgentinaGP and the first for Aprilia in the MotoGP era.

The battle for sixth intensifying in contrast as Marini lost out, then retook his position from Bagnaia as the race neared middle distance. Bagnaia circulated in eighth, just a tenth away from the Viñales/Marini battle as the race continued. The second factory Ducati of Pecco Bagnaia recovering from his own painful Saturday to sit ninth as the race unfolded. Monster Energy Yamaha’s Franky Morbidelli fell to the back of the pack on lap seven as his M1 suffered a puncture and he was forced to retire. On-grid issues for Andrea Dovizioso were compounded as the WithU RNF Yamaha retired his M1 at the end of lap one. Espargaro lined up for his 200th premier class start from the head of the MotoGP grid.

SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, Argentina: Aleix Espargaro claimed his maiden MotoGP win at the Argentine Grand Prix on Sunday (Apr 3)to move to the top of the ...

"I'm super happy for Aleix because it's his first victory. Second place for Martin also gave him his first points of the season after retirements in the first two rounds in Qatar and Indonesia. "I'm very happy, it's been a long, long time.

Spain's Aleix Espargaro won the first MotoGP race of his career in Argentina on Sunday on his 200th start in the sport's premier class.

Espargaro twice nipped past, only to run wide. Termas de Río Hondo (Argentina) (AFP) – Spain's Aleix Espargaro won the first MotoGP race of his career in Argentina on Sunday on his 200th start in the sport's premier class. Termas de Río Hondo (Argentina) (AFP) – Spain's Aleix Espargaro won the first MotoGP race of his career in Argentina on Sunday on his 200th start in the sport's premier class.

Aleix Espargaro fended off Jorge Martin to claim his first-ever MotoGP victory and the first for Aprilia in the modern era in a tense Argentina Grand Prix.

Espargaro tried again into Turn 5 on lap 20 and once more ran wide. Aleix Espargaro now leads the championship for the first time in his MotoGP career, the Aprilia rider seven points clear of Binder, with Bastianini nine points back in third. But on the following tour the Aprilia rider executed the perfect block pass to take the lead. Espargaro nailed his run out of the Turn 3 right-hander and capitalised on a headshake for Martin’s Ducati to pull ahead into the braking zone of Turn 5. Martin sat at the front of the pack for the first 17 of 25 laps, absorbing pressure from Espargaro – who ran wide at Turn 1 on the 10th tour and dropped a second back – before the first raid on his lead came. Poleman Espargaro got a tardy launch off the line and allowed second-placed Jorge Martin on the Pramac Ducati to move into the lead.

Luca Marini has praised his Valentino Rossi team for giving him “perfect bikes” to qualify third for the MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix after it was severely ...

“We started to work on the problems from the first test, especially after the Qatar race we had much data to understand the areas we needed to work,” Marini added when asked how his team has started to get on top of the GP22’s issues. “Now I think we are going in a good direction, in a good way, we start to fix a lot. “My team did an amazing job, so thanks to them and thanks to Ducati because they prepared – for me – two perfect bikes today and was not so easy for them because they did the work in just eight hours and normally they do it in two days,” Marini said.

MotoGP: Marini "The team worked overnight, the result is thanks to them. It is a special day for both me and Vale, but I haven't seen his results yet.

I was having a hard time pushing the bike to the limit and in the end I managed and I can brake really hard on this track, so the feelings on the bike are really good. I think I still have room for improvement and the long warm-up will be useful to get more data to be able to do it. We have to analyse the FP2 data to see what we need to change. The day started well and I had a good feeling right from the start despite the fact that it was the first time for us at this circuit. As for me, this year I feel much better during qualifying, I feel I have improved as a rider and can aim for results like this more often, but the level of competition is very high so it won't be easy. It was an intense qualifying day in Argentina for the riders, who had to focus their efforts in a one shot to get the best possible result on the grid, irrespective of the difficulties encountered by some teams in particular.

Strong feeling and fourth in warm up failed to translate in the Argentina GP for Elf Marc VDS' Sam Lowes.

I just want to say a big thank you to the team for the big job this weekend. Enduring the hottest conditions of the weekend, with track temperatures of 42℃ making rear tyre management key, Lowes struggled with rear grip through the left turns in the first half of the race. Previous podium pedigree failed to materialise as the intermediate class had just 100 minutes of track time ahead of qualifying and a further 20 minutes of Sunday warm up before the 23-lap race.

Spain's Aleix Espargaro won his first MotoGP race at the 200th attempt in Argentina on Sunday and tearfully admitted: "It's really special".

"The last laps were my strongest. Espargaro twice nipped past, only to run wide. Team work: Aleix Espargaro takes a selfie with his Aprilia team after winning the Argentina Grand Prix Team work: Aleix Espargaro takes a selfie with his Aprilia team after winning the Argentina Grand Prix Termas de Río Hondo (Argentina) (AFP) – Spain's Aleix Espargaro won his first MotoGP race at the 200th attempt in Argentina on Sunday and tearfully admitted: "It's really special". Termas de Río Hondo (Argentina) (AFP) – Spain's Aleix Espargaro won his first MotoGP race at the 200th attempt in Argentina on Sunday and tearfully admitted: "It's really special".