Espargaro claps back at Bastianini dig: ‘He was three seconds behind me on a factory Ducati’

Aleix Espargaro has clapped back at Enea Bastianini’s “not correct” dig at his tactics to defend Jorge Martin in Sunday’s MotoGP Solidarity Grand Prix.

The Aprilia rider qualified second for his final race as a full-time MotoGP rider and was able to put himself between eventual champion Martin and the fast pack behind him.

In the early stages of Sunday’s grand prix at Barcelona, Espargaro and Bastianini fought hard over fourth place, with the Aprilia rider ultimately winning out before dropping to fifth as the latter faded to seventh.

This lost Bastianini third in the standings to Marc Marquez, with the Ducati rider not happy with Espargaro’s tactics in the race as he felt he wasn’t riding to his true potential in order to help Martin.

But Espargaro hit back at this, saying: “They told me that Enea said that it’s not beautiful to end a career like this, not fighting for a podium.

“Yeah, the only thing I responded was that it’s not fair to say this.

“And in the last lap I was waiting for him to fight, but he was three seconds behind me with a factory Ducati. So, I don’t know what he was referring to.

“Alex Marquez did an amazing race and he beat me. And Enea couldn’t. So, I did the maximum possible. If he thinks that I tried to be slow, it’s impossible.

“I rode over the limit. I was the only one to put a bike in the middle of the Ducati mix.”

Rode more on the limit than ever to protect Martin

Espargaro’s farewell weekend in MotoGP was something that was “impossible to have dreamed”, with Martin becoming world champion the icing on the cake for him.

“10 out of 10,” he rated his final round before retirement.

“I feel that I’m a really lucky person. I’m really grateful for what I lived this weekend. It’s impossible to have dreamt a better weekend.

“After 20 seasons, to say goodbye at my circuit, on my home soil, with my family, with many surprises, with the love of Aprilia, being super competitive - because I almost achieved the pole position.

“I fought against the Ducatis just myself for the podium. Jorge won the title, I helped him a little bit. So, 10 out of 10. I just feel that I’m really, really lucky.

“We talked a little bit before the race. We both had the feeling that it was all the Ducatis against him, which is completely normal - they were trying to retain the title.

“And the feeling that I had was that I was the only one to protect my little brother in his title.

“So, even if on the grid it was very motivating for me because it was the last one, once the race started I was completely focused.

“I rode more than ever on the limit of my bike, trying to protect him as much as possible, and I’m very happy and proud to have been able to help him a little bit.”

Espargaro says he felt he had pace to win the race at one stage of the grand prix, but ultimately it was “impossible” as the soft tyre drop of Francesco Bagnaia and Marquez was not as extreme as expected.

“Impossible,” he replied when asked if he could win the race.

“In the first part of the race I thought that I had pace to fight for the victory and it was a little bit of a shock for me because I knew the guys in front were with the soft tyre.

“I was riding to the limit of the bike, more than ever in my life, braking super, super late. But I tried to be a little bit conservative, thinking I had an advantage at the end of the race.

“I don’t understand what Ducati is doing, but with the soft tyre they last more than me.

“I was really careful all race, but the last 10 laps were a nightmare for me, no traction, even that I had the harder compound than them, but no traction.

“So, very happy to help Jorge, to protect a little bit his place, and then in the last part I tried to be close to the podium but I couldn’t.”