ESPARGARO: “MY HANDS BURNED IN THE RACE BECAUSE OF APRILIA’S TEMPERATURE PROBLEM”

Aprilia RS-GP is famous for its overheating problems, and both Aleix Espargaro and his teammate Maverick Vinales have expressed their concerns about this issue many times, especially in Asian countries.

According to Espargaro, the Noale brand has not made any progress in this direction this year. He even expressed that he had difficulty even reaching the finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix last weekend.
Speaking after the race, the 35-year-old driver stated that the problems not only negatively affected his own performance in Sepang, but also caused the motorcycle to lose power.
Espargaro, “It was very difficult.”
“I already knew that such races, when the weather is very, very hot, were extremely difficult for us. So when we started so far behind on the grid, the race turned into a nightmare for me.”
“The motorcycle was really slow because of the heat, I couldn’t pass anyone.”
“I think I was only able to pass Raul. I suffered a lot in the last three laps, I couldn’t hold the handlebars from the heat and I almost couldn’t finish the race. My hands burned and I had to open my visor. The temperature is the Achilles heel of this motorcycle,” he said.

Espargaro was not the only Aprilia driver to complain of heat problems in Malaysia.
Trackhouse driver Raul Fernandez, who used a 2024 RS-GP with last year’s engine, also said that he felt the effects of the temperature.
“It was very difficult to cope with the temperature on the motorcycle.”
“I was almost done in the last four rounds. I removed my head from the motorcycle to get some air along the entire plain. Out of respect for the team and mechanics, I tried to finish the race.”
“I don’t feel my hand and foot. It was really hard.”