Aleix Espargaro: “The Ducatis are unbelievable”
“The grip that they are extracting from the tyres, it's amazing"
Like Aprilia team-mate Maverick Vinales, Aleix Espargaro feels Ducati is now in a class of its own during MotoGP races.
“I think all of the paddock is asking… why [Ducati] are able to be so fast in all conditions,” Vinales said in the aftermath of the Motegi grand prix.
Espargaro finished Sunday’s Japanese round as the second-best non-Ducati rider, in ninth place and 30 seconds from race winner Francesco Bagnaia.
KTM’s pole qualifier Pedro Acosta had been a contender until crashing out of both races, while Vinales at least qualified on the front row.
But Espargaro is adamant that Ducati has moved a clear step ahead.
While Vinales (3) and Espargaro (1) claimed early season victories for Aprilia, Ducati has been unbeaten for the past 20 races (Sprints and Grands Prix) in a row.
Japan also saw the Bologna factory sweep the top seven in the Saturday Sprint, then top five in the grand prix.
“The gap, the distance to the winner is unbelievable,” said Espargaro.
"We had no grip at all. It's unbelievable the difference in terms of grip. When the Ducatis overtook me there was nothing I could do, I was sliding all the way, spinning."
“I would love to have an explanation. But really I don't have it," he added. "It's [been] three races that in the technical meetings with Romano [Albesiano, Aprilia technical director], we just talk about that.”
Espargaro’s theory is that Ducati’s dominance stems from understanding something about the revised 2024 Michelin rear tyre that the other manufacturers are still missing.
“The [rear] grip that they are extracting from the tyres, it's amazing,” he said.
“This is why they are destroying the lap records, they are destroying the total race time by more than 10, 12 seconds, and we are not able to follow. Nothing I can do.
“Maverick did a really good job in the qualifying lap, but we saw yesterday and today that nobody in Aprilia had good [race] pace.”
He added: “KTM was a bit better here. I think also because the nature of the KTM bike is really good on the hard braking.
“But anyway, the Ducatis are unbelievable. Yesterday from 1st to 7th were all Ducatis. Amazing.”
With four rounds to go only the Ducati quartet of Jorge Martin, Francesco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez still have a mathematical chance of winning the 2024 MotoGP title.
Brad Binder is next best for KTM, some 209 points from Bagnaia, followed by rookie Acosta and the lead Aprilia of Vinales (-229 points).
Espargaro, switching to HRC test riding duties after retiring at the end of this season, is currently tied for eleventh place, 258s points from the top.
