AMAZING TOP-10 FOR ALEIX AS HE SOLDIERS THROUGH THE PAIN

The opening practice sessions in Valencia – the final round of the MotoGP season – were dominated by Maverick Viñales who, on his Aprilia, managed to break the track record which had stood since 2016. Aleix also did extremely well. On the track in pain due to his fractured fibula, injured last week in Losail, he gritted his teeth and took home an amazing (given the conditions) top-10, which sends him straight through to Q2. Also noteworthy is the eighth-place time by Raúl Fernández, improving consistently with Team RNF and bringing the number Aprilias in the top ten to three.

Now the focus shifts to Saturday’s sessions. FP3 to fine tune race pace and tyre choice, Q2 to battle for a good spot on the starting grid, and the 13-lap Sprint Race which will award the first points of the weekend.

ALEIX
"To be honest, I’m a bit sad, because I did not expect to suffer this much. I’m able to hang tough for a couple laps, but then the pain gets to be too much. This track is not the best suited for the situation since there are a lot of left-handers where I struggle more. The crash this morning was also due to this. My body tries to compensate for the lack of strength on the left side and I used the brakes too much to get the bike turning. At the moment, participating in the race doesn’t seem likely. I’ll try to have fun in qualifying and then we’ll see. The Clinica has done an incredible job and we have a few ideas for tomorrow, but I don’t know if it will be enough."

MAVERICK
"A time of 29.1 in Valencia is spectacular. This is proof that we are fast and that we have great potential. Now the goal is to maintain our speed throughout the weekend. On this track, we need to have the skill to find the right balance between the front and rear tyre. Today we were successful and riding the RS-GP was truly a pleasure. We’ll analyse the data closely now to continue our improvement process. The pace is not bad, but it’s only Friday and too early to say. We’ll see what happens with the conditions tomorrow."

MAVERICK RECOVERS FROM NINTH TO FOURTH AND MISSES THE PODIUM BY JUST 80 THOUSANDTHS

The fourth-place finish today in the Qatar race was undoubtedly disappointing for Maverick Viñales, who made a spectacular comeback ride from ninth place. Only eighty thousandths of a second separated him from a final result that was within his potential. After the accident yesterday which had even made his participation today doubtful, Aleix rode in the Warm-up and then decided to join the 21-lap race. However, the pain in his left leg, specifically the lack of feeling in his foot, forced him to retire during the seventh lap.

After starting from the third row, Maverick found himself in ninth place during the opening lap. After an initial period of settling in, he began his comeback, encouraged by an outstanding race pace. However, the inevitable time lost overtaking had left him with a gap of over three seconds behind the podium, a distance that the Spanish rider stubbornly reduced to zero, even attempting to overtake on the final turns. The awareness of his potential at the end of the race is the best precedent for the final round in Valencia and for his continued adventure with Aprilia.

ALEIX
"I wanted to give it a go today, but at a certain point, I lost feeling and strength in my left foot so I was unable to work the gear shifter. Even in the Warm-up, I noticed this risk. The hours of rest ahead of the race weren’t enough time to fully recover. Knowing our pace, it’s a pity, but I was unable to continue. Now focus to Valencia where I hope to arrive at physical fitness that will be sufficient to finish the season well."

MAVERICK
"The balance we found this weekend on the RS-GP is, in my opinion, the best of 2023. That is the truly positive thing. The path has been mapped out and we are well aware of the technical direction that needs to be followed. At the risk of sounding repetitive, once again, having to recover ground makes everything harder and keeps me from achieving the results which – in terms of pace – we deserve. With the speed that we then demonstrate in the race, improving in qualifiers and the race start must be our mantra from now until the start of the next season."