Aleix Espargaro: "Half a lap more and my bike stops"

Fabio Quartararo wasn’t the only rider to struggle with a lack of fuel at the end of Sunday’s Japanese MotoGP.

But while the Yamaha rider lamented the lack of warning before his bike spluttered in the last few corners, Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro was at least aware he was in trouble.

Starting 15th, Espargaro gained early ground to eighth but couldn’t keep the VR46 Ducatis at bay.

A lack of rear grip led to excessive wheelspin, which burned through his fuel at the notoriously ‘thirsty’ track.

“One of the most difficult races of the last three seasons. We had no grip at all,” Espargaro said.

“I was sliding all the way, spinning. I made it to the end just for a couple of corners, because I had no fuel already.”

“The last five or six laps, I started to have the [low fuel] alarms,” Espargaro explained.

“I went to [engine] map 2, then map 3, and then the bike started to have no power even on map 3.

“I knew it, I saw from the beginning of the race that I was over the limit riding the bike, spinning, spinning, spinning.

“I'm completely destroyed physically! Because the bike had no grip at all. So I had to fight a lot, and then the [fuel] consumption is higher than expected.

“We made it. I think half a lap more and my bike stops.”

Team-mate Maverick Vinales crashed out of eleventh place at mid-distance.

Espargaro is tied with VR46's Fabio di Giannantonio for tenth in the world championship, three places behind Vinales.

Outscored by KTM at the last two rounds, Aprilia is now 20 points behind the Austrian manufacturer in the fight for runner-up behind Ducati in the constructors’ standings.