ALEIX: "WE’RE STRUGGLING BUT ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN THE RACE"
MAVERICK: "A DIFFICULT WEEKEND WE CAN LEARN FROM"
There was a change in pace but it wasn’t enough for Aleix and Maverick to clinch spots on the front rows. The lack of grip at the rear is limiting both the Aprilia riders who, on the Thai Buriram track, haven’t been able to find the feeling they’ve become accustomed to.
Espargaró took all his determination out on the track, with a substantially perfect lap in Q1. Just one tenth of a second kept him from going through to Q2, which places him in the first spot on the fifth row of the starting grid. Seventeenth time and the sixth row for Viñales, on the other hand.
A weekend to learn from, gathering data useful for improving the RS-GP project. A fast bike but one that has still not fully matured.
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
"It hasn’t been an easy weekend so far. We continue to struggle with poor grip at the rear. Doing any better than what we did today was truly impossible. Missing Q2 by one tenth was a pity but I’m still optimistic. The reality of the situation tells us that despite not having the best feeling, we still aren’t that far off in terms of pace and anything can happen in the race."
MAVERICK VIÑALES
"There are good weekends and others when you just have to limit the damage. Here in Thailand, we have been unable to find the right feeling, despite trying various solutions on the bike. It will be a difficult race, starting from so far behind and without having a good pace but the important thing will be figuring out what is causing these difficulties so we can improve."