Espargaro 'can’t wait' to see how Aprilia will perform in Mugello

Aleix Espargaro's three previous Italian MotoGPs for Aprilia have brought only an eleventh-place finish, but he has much higher hopes for the 2021 version of the RS-GP.

Among the upgrades made to the new bike is better initial power delivery, helping boost acceleration, gains from which can be carried all along the straights.

That will be particularly important at Mugello, which features the highest top speeds of the season.

But it's not only the machinery which has been upgraded, with Espargaro undergoing arm pump surgery immediately after Le Mans to remove one area of doubt for the team's home event.

"Mugello is a demanding track, even from a physical point of view. Precisely for this reason, I decided to have surgery on my arm after Le Mans, taking advantage of the break for a full recovery," said Espargaro, who has equalled the RS-GP's best event result of sixth place twice already this season.

"The operation was perfect and I’ll be at the first Italian race in good form.

"It is an important round for the team on a circuit that has never been our favourite. But now we can count on a much more competitive 2021 RS-GP and I can’t wait to see how it will perform in Mugello."

Team-mate Lorenzo Savadori arrives at his first Italian Grand Prix having been impressively fast in wet conditions at Le Mans, only to suffer a technical failure in the race.

"Le Mans was definitely a good weekend, although the particular conditions prevent an accurate comparison," he said. "What counts for me is to continue reducing the gap, improving my confidence on the RS-GP and increasing my experience in this category.

"It is a path that takes time. Aprilia is supporting me with all of my requests and I am trying to speed up the learning curve. I can’t wait to race in Mugello. It’s a track that I know well, but I've never tackled it astride a MotoGP bike."