Espargaro: Indian GP safety issues show how united MotoGP riders are
Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro believes MotoGP riders are much more united in their views than before amid safety concerns over the venue of this weekend's Indian Grand Prix.
India is scheduled to host its first-ever MotoGP round this weekend at the Buddh International Circuit which was built to host the Formula 1 race between 2011 and 2013, when it was dropped from the calendar.
Concerns about track safety have been brought up in recent months, as the venue required an upgrade to extend the run-off areas and to carry out a partial resurfacing.
The most concerning parts of the circuit are walls which are placed just three metres from the asphalt itself, with the Turn 3 barriers one of the biggest safety issues despite it being one of the slowest corners of the track.
In recent weeks, Espargaro had expressed concerns about the level of safety at the circuit, which was yet to be homologated by FIM as of last week.
Espargaro says riders are facing the weekend more united than before following a number of meetings to discuss, among other topics, setting a minimum base salary for MotoGP riders.
And the Aprilia rider suggested they are all on the same page on safety concerns ahead of the Indian GP.
"In India, all the riders together are going to walk the track before we get on the bike to understand the situation," he said.
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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Motorsport.com understands that the riders are determined to bring up a vote amongst themselves on any issues relating to their safety.
Espargaro admits he has been surprised by the level of agreement among riders.
"Now there is a very important thing between us, which is togetherness," Espargaro said when asked by Motorsport.com how he believes the grid will handle any decisions regarding the Indian GP.
"I don't know why, but now that we sit down and talk, we think much more alike than we imagined.
"Before, you would go to the safety committee and there was a lot more confusion, because there were a lot of opinions pointing in different directions.
"Now it turns out that we agree on most issues. That's very positive. This way we can improve a lot of things."
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