Aleix Espargaro explains why he’s “not very happy” to help Jorge Martin’s title bid

Aleix Espargaro says he’s “not very happy” to have needed to help Jorge Martin in qualifying at the MotoGP Solidarity Grand Prix, but nevertheless feels it was “beautiful” to do so.

Martin came into Saturday’s action at the Barcelona finale in touching distance of the 2024 title, as he led Francesco Bagnaia by 24 points ahead of the sprint.

Bagnaia was able to qualify on pole and get Marc Marquez onto the front row, though Aprilia’s Espargaro split the pair in second having also helped two Martin to fourth on the grid.

Martin ultimately lost out on second in the sprint to Enea Bastianini, as Bagnaia won, with the gap in the standings now 19 ahead of Sunday’s decider.

On helping his close friend Martin in his quest for the title, Espargaro said: “I talk with Jorge more than I talk with my wife.

“So, you guess that we talk a lot. I’m not really happy to be able to help him because I’d love him to be the flying and the fastest one.

“But it’s like beautiful for me, because I’ve been following him on the qualifying in the last three seasons, so at least for one last time to be able to help him a little bit to get this title I feel very good.”

125cc celebration ‘no better way to end career’

After finishing fourth in the sprint on Saturday, Espargaro completed the cooldown lap on the 125cc Honda he raced with at the start of his grand prix career, while Matteo Baiocco rode the RS-GP back to pits.

The 35-year-old revealed to the media on Saturday that he wasn’t expecting this surprise, which was organised by his wife Laura.

“Not so much, because I was 179m when I was 15 years old,” he said when asked if he could still fit on his old bike.

“And I was one or two kilos heavier than now. So, I don’t understand how I fit on that bike.

“It’s unbelievable the size of today’s bikes if we compare to the past, because to Moto3 it’s bigger than this 125. It was amazing. I love my wife a lot. I never imagined this surprise.

“I can’t imagine a better way to end my career than doing a lap with the first bike of the world championship and with my current bike. I think it was a brilliant idea.”

Sunday’s Solidarity GP will mark Espargaro’s last race as a full-time rider, something he admits is now starting to sink in.

“All the weekend has been very strange,” he said when asked by Crash.net if his looming retirement now felt real.

“Yesterday I was in the garage for one hour with my team. I had some surprises, I saw some videos - I cried a lot.

“It is a really emotional weekend. One thing that’s clear: I’ve been very lucky to find Aprilia. It’s amazing how much they love me.

“So, I enjoyed it a lot and I will miss them. Even in the future if I do some wildcards, which I don’t want right now, but maybe I have to, it will be completely different because the atmosphere in the garage is unbelievable.

“As you know me I’m a very sensitive guy, so it will be very difficult to handle the emotions.”