Aleix Espargaró «shattered» the previous Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya lap record on the first day of the MotoGP Catalan GP. In the afternoon session, the Aprilia rider clocked a time of 1m38.686s, beating his teammate Maverick Viñales by 0.362s – this was after he had already topped FP1.
The Spanish rider didn’t hide his satisfaction with his performance: ‘We know that it’s only Friday, but being the fastest, with the track record, is undoubtedly an outstanding way to begin the weekend. I’m also pleased with the speed demonstrated in both sessions. The RS-GP works really well here and I’m having fun’.
Having said that, Espargaró stressed that he doesn’t expect an easy task in Barcelona: ‘In any case, it won’t be an easy weekend, especially on Sunday – it will be a long race. This is a demanding track in terms of grip, so both tyre choice and tyre management will be crucial’.