Maverick Viñales has gone down in Aprilia history taking victory in the Sprint Race. The Spanish rider, despite not being at top physical fitness, missed pole position by just 86 thousandths of a second in qualifying. Therefore, starting from the second spot on the grid, he lost a few positions during the first lap, only to come back quickly to take the race lead. He managed to set a fast race pace, fending off the riders behind him and finishing first. With this first win, Maverick confirms his growth with the RS-GP24.
For Aleix Espargaró, on the other hand, it was a complicated day, with the rider unable to go through to Q2 by just two tenth of a second. After a good start, he managed to make up positions in the early laps of the race. The Spaniard finished the Sprint Race eighth.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
“I am truly happy about this first win with Aprilia and the great job the team is doing this weekend. I feel good on the bike. We are really in tune and I had a lot of fun in this Sprint Race. This is a very special moment for me. I closed a circle. I knew that sooner or later I would be back to winning – I had absolutely no doubt.”
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
“First of all, I am extremely happy about Maverick’s first win with Aprilia. This is a bit of a complicated circuit for me – a stop and go track with strong acceleration points – so I have trouble finding the right feeling. The bike is competitive. Today I’ll need to work on being ready for the race.”
- From Piaggio Group Press
