Aleix Espargaro doesn’t care that the 2024 Aprilia RS-GP is ‘difficult’ to ride: ‘The important thing is that we are faster’.
says he doesn’t care that the raft of aerodynamic updates for the 2024 Aprilia MotoGP machine make it more 'difficult' to ride.And having been the top non-Ducati with fifth at the Sepang test, then third in Qatar - when he also set a searing Sprint simulation until a fall - Espargaro is giving the new machine a warm welcome.
“It’s not an easy bike. I would say the 2024 is one of the most difficult I have had to ride, but at the same time it is more competitive. So, welcome!” he smiled."I don’t know if heavy is the right word, but to change direction and to throw the bike in , sometimes if you don’t have the right grip then you have to force it so much.
“So it is not easy to understand how to do it, but at the end of the day, the important thing is that we are faster.“I’m super-happy," he added."It is just testing but I am enjoying a lot this year. I really like the ’24 spec bike. Malaysia and Qatar are completely different circuits, completely different grip and I’m fast.Espargaro explained that it’s difficult to pinpoint one specific area of progress, but: “The weight of the bike is a bit less.
Otherwise, Espargaro’s only technical concern is engine performance, while it remains to be seen how the ’24 RS-GP will perform in a 'real' race situation.“If you are fast from the beginning on two completely different tracks then this is positive. They don’t give points for testing but it is always important to feel good.