MotoGP | GP Misano Day 1: A.Espargarò, “Not an easy first day”

On the first day of testing in Misano, in view of next Sunday's MotoGP race, both Aleix Espargaró and Scott Redding remain quite far from the top-ten, the usual objective of the test sessions to avoid the first qualifying on Saturday and directly access Q2 which defines the first four rows at the start.

Espargaró faced the first day with his new technical chief Pietro Caprara and had to deal with a process of adaptation to the latest evolution of the engine of his RS-GP, tested in August on this very track but for the first time at the test in an official shift. After the 1'35.544 of the first session, Aleix improved by almost a second in the afternoon, closing in 1'33.322 and now, weather permitting, he will have the last session on Saturday morning available to try to get closer to tenth place.

In the first round Redding showed great confidence with his Aprilia, coming close to the top ten and finishing eleventh, just 18 thousandths from tenth. In the afternoon however, thanks to a fall resulting in a bike change, he was among the very few riders not to improve, so he finished seventeenth in the combined two sessions. For him too, everything will be decided tomorrow.

Here are the words of Aleix Espargarò: “This is an important GP for Aprilia, but the first day wasn't easy even though I was giving it my all. We used these first sessions to create a working basis since I have Pietro at my side as the new crew chief. The first impact was good, he is a calm and thoughtful person but he clearly needs to understand how the RS-GP works and what my needs are. I tried the new engine evolution, very different in behavior compared to the previous one, and at the moment we are unable to exploit its potential. We need to refine the electronic management to adapt to the new characteristics, I hope that with the data collected we will be able to prepare a more effective package in qualifying and the race."

Here are Scott Redding's impressions: “This morning I felt good. I started with the same setup as Silverstone, which seems to work better here. The feeling with the bike is good, I found a good rhythm and was able to work on the different tire options. I feel the RS-GP is more reactive, more ready to respond to my requests. In the afternoon we continued on this road, I honestly can't explain the slip, perhaps a little humidity made the temperature drop a few degrees. Having to then use the second bike, I struggled to improve my times but I'm happy, it's nice to immediately find the right pace in Aprilia's home race."