Espargaro: Race direction error "ruined" Valencia qualifying
Aleix Espargaro says his Valencia Grand Prix qualifying was “ruined” by a “big mistake” from MotoGP race direction, who wrongly flew a yellow flag at the end of Q2.
The Aprilia rider was left baffled at the end of Friday for a mystifying lack of pace, but was much stronger on Saturday, topping FP3 in the morning.
Despite a small crash in FP4, Espargaro continued his strong form in the session and was on course for a strong qualifying.
But he was caught out in the closing stages by the yellow flags for Francesco Bagnaia's crash at Turn 2, and then couldn't complete his last lap after finding yellow flags on the main straight.
He says this was a result of race direction wrongly putting a caution out for poleman Jorge Martin running off track after celebrating his lap, with Espargaro left down in 12th as a result.
"In qualifying I had very bad luck, sincerely," Espargaro said.
"I had the crash of Pecco in front of me, and then in the last lap there was a big mistake from race direction because they put a yellow flag in the straight on the [LED] panels, and there was no crash.
"It was just Martin going wide after celebrating the pole position, but you cannot put out a yellow flag when there is nobody on the gravel.
"I went to race direction because I was very angry, they just said, 'sorry, it was a mistake'.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
"It can happen, but it ruined my qualifying because I couldn't put in a lap, so starting from 12th place will be a little bit difficult tomorrow.
"We have strong pace, I think I was ready to fight for the podium, but starting from 12th place it's going to be a little bit more difficult."
Espargaro says usually Aprilia doesn't change much on the bikes during a weekend, but made extensive alterations after his difficult Friday.
"Normally we don't change the bike so much one day to the other, but we did," he added.
"We made the bike shorter, we changed also the suspension quite a lot, we changed the front [brake] disc cover, we did completely different things to try to increase the front temperature.
"Basically we changed a lot of things. And it worked, I was immediately fast this morning with the medium race tyre, and then with the soft tyre I put in a good lap.
"I'm satisfied. In FP4 I had a small crash, but then I take second bike and with the used tyre from this morning, close to 20 laps [on it] I managed to stay in 1m31s high, which is very good."
Related video
Rossi: Valencia Q2 entry "changed everything" for final qualifying
Valencia MotoGP - Start time, how to watch & more
Why KTM's latest young outcast is a cautionary tale for MotoGP
Iker Lecuona’s absence from the 2022 MotoGP grid after losing his KTM ride will likely pass most onlookers by. But after just 30 race starts in a MotoGP move he was sucked into by circumstance, the World Superbike-bound 21-year-old's story should act as a warning to KTM - and MotoGP as a whole - in regards to its future stars
How Ducati's expanded roster will threaten MotoGP's balance in 2022
That Ducati will compete with eight prototypes in MotoGP this year is nothing new, having already done so between 2016 and 2018. But the involvement and coverage of the Borgo Panigale company in its alliances is now much greater than in past years, which could have the effect of unbalancing the premier class
Ranking the top 10 MotoGP riders of 2021
Although Fabio Quartararo wrapped up the 2021 MotoGP title with two rounds to go, the Yamaha rider had strong competition from the revitalised Ducati factory team and a revitalised Marc Marquez. Read on to see who makes our top 10 list.
How Quartararo cast aside prior doubts to become MotoGP's new king
Doubts were cast over Yamaha’s French recruit after his disastrous end to the 2020 MotoGP season with Petronas SRT, but Fabio Quartararo answered them convincingly in 2021 to claim a MotoGP title that exhibited both his devastating speed and mental strength
The Rossi-less future MotoGP must now navigate
Motorcycle racing's greatest showman has left the stage, as Valentino Rossi calls time on his remarkable career on two wheels. But in his successors, all of whom were inspired by 'the Doctor', grand prix racing has vibrant new acts to keep us hooked
Valentino Rossi’s 10 greatest MotoGP races
As the Italian legend finally bows out and retires from MotoGP, it marks the end of one of the most incredible careers in motorsport history. Here is Motorsport.com's pick of his best rides and the stories behind them
How Ducati has drawn first blood in the 2022 MotoGP title race
The 2021 MotoGP season may have only just ended but preparations for 2022 are well underway following a two-day test at Jerez this week. Ducati has hit the ground running while a lack of progress dominated Yamaha’s and world champion Fabio Quartararo’s test. While no battle lines have been drawn yet for 2022, it appears Ducati has already drawn first blood...
Why Suzuki's quest for a new MotoGP boss may be too late
Suzuki is on the search for a new team manager after its decision not to replace Davide Brivio at the start of 2021 was backed up by its unsuccessful bid to help Joan Mir defend his 2020 MotoGP world title. But whoever Shinichi Sahara appoints next, it may have already come too late to convince Mir to stick with the project