WATCH: Fiery start for Aleix Espargaro at Sepang
The Spaniard, like fellow RS-GP riders Maverick Vinales and Raul Fernandez, had struggled to breathe due to the intense heat from the bike in Thailand.
But things got even hotter in FP1 at Sepang when, after a harmless lowside at the final hairpin, big flames began firing out of his machine.
Espargaro ran over to the bike to switch off the engine but soon sprinted away again when the flames appeared.
Too hot to handle!
— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) November 10, 2023
After a last-corner mistake, @AleixEspargaro went to pick up his RS-GP and the Aprilia burst into flames! #MalaysianGP pic.twitter.com/AoIVJwZkbv
Fortunately, the Malaysian marshals put out the fire before significant damage was caused.
Espargaro went on to finish seventh fastest in opening practice.
Aprilia has some bodywork modifications to try and reduce the heat on their riders in this weekend’s races.
