“Lots of factories have knocked on my door”

After a packed out French GP, it’s time for another and this time in the Mediterranean jewel of Barcelona. First, the podcast welcomed Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez to talk about his career and season, with the #25 joining the pod for the first time at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya.

Then it was an emotional interlude as Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) announced his retirement from being a full-time rider in a one-off Press Conference at 15:15.

The first press conference for the weekend ahead then got in gear, with Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) joined by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team). Guess the topic!

Then, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was joined by rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) in Press Conference 2.

Here are some photos and quotes from the opening day!

JORGE MARTIN

How are you feeling after a double win in Le Mans and are Aprilia a threat?

“For sure it will be a challenging weekend, I am happy about the last result but it is in the past and now we have to focus. I remember that we have struggled with the grip in the last two years here for all of us, so let’s see how the new bike performs here. I think it will be better than last season and we also have some other ideas to try and get faster. Last year Aprilia was on another level here, so the target is to close that gap but nobody knows how the bike or the tyres from one season to another. I am confident that I feel good at the moment and that I will do a good job.”

Are you in talks with KTM or Aprilia and if it’s not with Ducati have you got a preferred option?

“I think the results at Le Mans or Jerez or what will happen here will not change the final decision. I understand Ducati as they need to understand what they need and how to put it together. So let’s wait, in the next two weeks, I will decide my future as I will know the Ducati decision and all my choices. I am happy that lots of factories have knocked on my door which means I am doing a good job. Now we have to wait and I cannot control what will happen so I will try my best here in Montmelo and Mugello and we will see what the future brings us.”

PECCO BAGNAIA

How are you feeling after last year’s race at Catalunya?

“I hope to make it further than three corners this season! Last year was great as the first two days we were competitive and then in Sunday’s race we had some issues and didn’t have the opportunity to finish the race. Last year we were very competitive, we were feeling great and I was able to compete with the Aprilia. On the Sunday with the medium rear tyre, I think our potential could have been very promising. I think the new bike will make us have less grip but will help with turning which could be a good compromise but for sure the April’s will be the one to beat.”

MARC MARQUEZ

Can you explain what is missing to fight for the Championship?

“We are missing the consistency of these two guys because they are fast every practice and every qualifying practice. They are always inside the top three or the top three, and although I am fast, I feel competitive, and in Jerez and Le Mans I was super close to them, I need to find this consistency which will be a challenge Montmelo because it is one of my tricky tracks plus with the new bike it looks like they will gain in the long corners but we will find our own way to be fast and fight with the top guys.”

Would you be happy with a factory Ducati in another team or would you like to be in the factory team?

“My situation has changed a bit from last year as for this season I was looking to have fun, to find the feeling and step by step I am coming back to a good level to be able to fight with these guys. But if you want to fight for a Championship it is possible this year but if you have an easier life on track it helps you. Every rider is looking for the best and I know which is my first idea, I am very clever, I was clever in the past, I was clever last year, and I am clever for next year on what I want to do. So let’s see if I can do I great job on the track to have more options for next year.”

What is your idea?

“To be fast on the race track or close to them because as I said in Jerez or in Le Mans it is already great that I can fight with them until the last corner. These are the two guys that were competing for the Championship last year and are the two strongest opponents out there. So I will keep working with what I have to try and find the maximum.”

ENEA BASTIANINI

How competitive do you feel heading into this weekend?

“I have been really unlucky at the Catalan GP in the last two years as in 2022 I crashed and last year I made a big mistake at turn one and crashed with other riders. Let’s see how it goes this year as it is a strange race because the grip is low, so it is important to have a good base set up.”

Are a move to Gresini or Aprilia options that you’re considering if you can’t stay as Pecco’s teammate next year?

“I know it is probably the most difficult decision for Ducati at the moment as we are the top four in the World Championship and with Pecco already under contract it can be a difficult decision. At the moment my situation is not bad as the Ducati is so fast at all tracks and it has improved since last year. I could be a factory rider for next year but I know the speed of Jorge or Marc so it will be difficult but I am confident that I will stay here.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES

How high are the expectations for you to deliver this weekend?

“It is true that last year here in Montmelo it was extraordinary for Aprilia but every year is different so from my point of view we have to remain calm and it is important to be ready for any condition. Of course, we arrive here thinking that we can fight for victory but we need to remember it is a different year and that the tyres feel different. The competition is high at the moment but we will try and take the maximum from what we have and if I have the opportunity I will go for it on every occasion. We need to try and remember that when we bring the bike to its maximum we are able to win races and that is what we are trying to do here.”

Reaction to Aleix’s retirement:

“I didn’t expect it, I was expecting him to continue racing. In Aprilia, we are both commanding the team and he has been an important part of my journey. But if he has decided like this it is because he feels it is right. I just wanted to say that it has been a pleasure to have been his teammate. He was one of the toughest teammates I have had. However, we still have a long season ahead, so I think he has to be very motivated to try and achieve more victories and if he is fast it will help me a lot.”

PEDRO ACOSTA

Do you think you can have the pace for the victory?

“It is a new track for us on a MotoGP™ bike so we need to start from zero and we have worked like hell this week to avoid the problems that we had in Le Mans. On Sunday we made a big step but we need to start from zero now as we know it is a tricky track. We also need to understand how our bike will work here as last season it was not easy so we need to use all the data from Jack and Augusto to understand how we can improve the bike.”

Reaction to Aleix’s retirement:

“For the last five seasons, we have had a professional relationship but when he started to talk and get sentimental I was close to crying and I said “Man how could I not cry”. But I am super happy for him and we know that he enjoys many things in life like cycling. I think he will start to enjoy his new life and priorities and I am super happy about this and the chance to share a MotoGP™ season with him.”

ALEX RINS

How do you feel it will be your 200th GP and do you expect to be more competitive?

“I didn’t know it was my 200th Grand Prix so it will be a little more special now. As you mentioned after Le Mans we were at Mugello, testing some new items and reconfirming some items from Jerez. I was surprised as the fairing we tested in Jerez was working well so we have two bikes with the new aero and something new that we tested at Mugello which we need to reconfirm. I am super excited to begin the Catalan GP as it is a really nice track but low grip so it will be difficult to manage the tyre life but I am ready!”

Reaction to Aleix’s retirement:

“It was very big news but I am super happy for him because if he decides to stop racing it is because that is what he wants and deserves. He has had some really great and difficult seasons in the past but he is a fighter. He trains really hard, day by day to achieve his goals and I am super proud of him and wish him luck in the future. After he finishes this season it is time for him to enjoy time with his family.”
 

MotoGP™ partners with TNT Sports in the U.S.

Every Sprint and every Grand Prix race will be shown live across the U.S. in 2024

Thursday, 07 March 2024

MotoGP™ has a new broadcast home in the U.S. through an expanded media rights agreement with TNT Sports. Beginning with this weekend’s Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar, fans across the U.S. will be able to watch every Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix race live in 2024 across TNT Sports’ networks and platforms.

truTV and Max’s B/R Sports Add-On will show every race of this record-breaking MotoGP™ season live, including top quality pre-race coverage. Max’s B/R Sports Add-On will also stream every session for every Grand Prix class across all three days of track activity, including the MotoGP™ qualifying shootout and the Grand Prix races for Moto2™ and Moto3™.

This partnership between MotoGP™ and TNT Sports represents a new era for live MotoGP™ coverage in the U.S., bringing TNT Sports’ world-class production and coverage to a U.S. audience that is passionate for high-octane motorsports.

MotoGP™ joins Max’s B/R Sports Add-On, which offers exceptional value with a full slate of premium live sports content included, such as the MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA Men’s March Madness, U.S. Soccer, 24 Hours of Le Mans and a variety of non-live sports programming to appeal to every fan.

Fans can start tuning in to the record-breaking 2024 MotoGP™ season on truTV and Max’s B/R Sports Add-On this weekend as the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar marks the return of the world’s most exciting sport from the 8th to the 10th of March.

About TNT Sports

TNT Sports is a global leader in the delivery of premium sports content. The TNT Sports U.S. portfolio includes expansive, multi-platform partnerships with the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, National Hockey League, United States Soccer Federation, NASCAR (coming in 2025) and a premier golf franchise in The Match. Owned and operated platforms are highlighted by Bleacher Report, the #1 digital destination for young sports fans, along with House of Highlights, HighlightHER, Golf Digest, and a full suite of digital and social portfolio brands. Additionally, TNT Sports co-manages NBA Digital — comprised of NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE Pass, the NBA App and NBAGLEAGUE.com — as well as NCAA.com and NCAA March Madness Live. TNT Sports in Europe and the Republic of Ireland includes partnerships with the NBA, Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UFC, WWE and more, as well as much-loved brands Eurosport, Global Cycling Network (GCN), Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN) and multi-sport programming and content on discovery+ and Discovery’s free-to-air TV networks. 

About MotoGP™

MotoGP™ is the world’ most exciting sport. The pinnacle of motorcycle racing, 22 of the fastest riders compete on purpose-built motorcycles on some of the world’s greatest racetracks, reaching top speeds above 360 kilometers per hour (223 miles per hour) and lean angles of over 60 degrees. Since 1949, the sport has grown to comprise more than 20 Grands Prix across five continents, with the television broadcast reaching hundreds of millions around the world.

#GrazieCapitano: Aleix Espargaro announces retirement from MotoGP™ in Barcelona

The Aprilia Racing rider will bow out at the end of 2024 – so here are a few career highlights, quotes and more after the announcement

Thursday, 23 May 2024

In a special Press Conference at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) has announced that he will retire from Grand Prix racing at the end of 2024. The #41 has competed in more than 300 Grands Prix over a career spanning nearly two decades, building a lasting legacy that includes taking Aprilia’s first ever premier class win.

Espargaro’s first key success was winning the FIM CEV in 2004, and the same year he made his Grand Prix debut with an appearance in the 125cc World Championship. In 2005 he competed in his first full GP season, in the 125cc class, before appearances in the 125cc and 250cc classes in 2006. For 2007 and 2008 he remained in the intermediate class, becoming a consistent top ten finisher as well as linking up with Aprilia machinery for the first time.

2009 saw Espargaro get his first taste of the MotoGP™ class as he raced as a replacement rider for Pramac at Indianapolis, Misano, Sepang and Valencia, before a full time move to the premier class for 2010 in the same team. Two P8s were his best finishes, but 2011 would see Espargaro move back to Moto2™. The season saw him take his first GP podium, on home turf at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and from there the opportunity to move back to MotoGP™ beckoned for 2012. He joined the Aspar team and stayed there in 2013, too, making a name for himself as the frontrunner in the CRT class.

The same was true in 2014 as he moved to Forward Yamaha and the #41 took his maiden premier class podium that season – a stunning second place at a wet MotorLand Aragon. He also took his first pole position at Assen. From there, Espargaro would become a factory rider after impressing over a number of seasons in the CRT.

First, he joined Team Suzuki Ecstar for 2015 and 2016. He took the factory’s first pole since 2007 at the 2015 Catalan GP, and took consistent top ten and top five results. After two seasons in blue, his next stop was Aprilia Racing in a move that would go on to make some history for both.

Proving a key part of the project from 2017, Espargaro and Aprilia steadily moved forward season by season. By 2021 the duo celebrated their first podium together, at the British Grand Prix, and in 2022 history was made. The Argentinean Grand Prix saw Espargaro come out swinging from the off, and on race day he kept it calm and collected to take a stunning first premier class win for him – and for Aprilia. It was no flash in the pan either, with four podiums in a row from Portugal to Mugello and another at Aragon seeing them stake a claim on the upper echelons of the Championship.

2023 continued the success. A podium at Assen preceded a stunning victory at Silverstone, and there was more to come as the #41 stood on the top step in Barcelona after an awesome showdown against teammate Maverick Viñales. It was a historic 1-2 for the Noale factory, and after Espargaro had also won the Tissot Sprint in a near-perfect weekend.

By the time 2024 concludes, Espargaro can expect to have the third most starts of any rider in history. He’s two behind MotoGP™ Legend Loris Capirossi, who is third on the all-time list, as it stands. He will have taken at least three MotoGP™ wins and podiums in both Moto2™ and MotoGP™, and he will forever have been a vital part of the project that saw Aprilia take their first premier class glory.

Check out some quotes from an emotional Aleix below, watch the full press conference, and join us in saying… #GrazieCapitano!

 
ALEIX ESPARGARO: “First thing, thank you everyone for coming, it’s amazing to see all of you here. As you can imagine, at the end of this season I will retire from being a full-time MotoGP rider. It’s been a nice journey, I’ve enjoyed it a lot, so thank you everybody.

“This is a special place, where I began riding, and where last year was a dream come true to me, so it’s the perfect place to announce that I will retire from being a full-time rider. My trajectory has been quite different, like for all riders, it’s not easy and nobody gives you anything for free, but mine has been really very strange. No one, not even a Hollywood movie, could have thought that at 30 years old, I could win races and take podiums with a brand that hadn’t done it before. So I’m very happy and proud, it’s never enough but I’m very proud of how far I’ve come. The kid who made his debut here many years ago would be very happy.

“I’ve always made a lot of mistakes in life because I do everything from the heart and not from the head, but that’s how I am. My head says I can continue racing, and be fast on a grid of riders who are the best in history, and I feel competitive, and physically good, but my heart is asking me to stop. To spend more time at home, be with my wife and kids, so that’s why I’ve decided to step aside and enjoy life in a more relaxed way.

“More than anything, I want to thank Aprilia. These last two or three years have been a dream with everything we’ve achieved since I arrived with Romano, Massimo and Paolo. We made history and I’ll be eternally grateful for everything they’ve given me, and everything I’ve been able to give to them. I want to thank Carmelo and Carlos because I’ve grown up here, this has been my life, my school, everything. For my kids too.

“I want to thank my family, my brother, who has always been my point of reference. And to all my personal team: Albert Valera, without whom my sporting life would never have been like this and who is now such a part of my life, and to my wife Laura. And thanks to all the riders in the paddock. I’ve tried to do everything as well as I know how, and I’m very happy. Thank you all.

“There are many riders in the world, and in this space today, who won more than me, but I gave everything I had and worked very, very hard. Many times I felt maybe I didn’t have the talent of others riders but by working hard I reached quite a high level. And once again with Aprilia seeing all these memories of the last two or three seasons, it’s amazing. I was dreaming, and that’s one of the reasons I decided to stop. It’s enough, I already had so much fun and I want to retire from being a full-time rider with a good feeling. It’s not been an easy week, I felt sometimes I was jumping into a strange space, but I’m really happy.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:

Grazie Capitano

Aleix Espargaró will retire at the end of the season after a long career in
MotoGP and eight years spent with Aprilia Racing

Espargaró chose his home race, in Barcelona, to announce his retirement from
MotoGP at the end of the season. He chose this track because he grew up in
Granollers, just a few kilometers away from the paddock, and because a year ago he
wrote one of the most memorable pages of Aprilia Racing history with a one-two
finish with Maverick.

Aleix’s career is closely linked to Aprilia Racing, for eight seasons he has raced with
the Italian team, marking the most beautiful moments in its recent history. He has
won three Grand Prix races (Argentina 2022, Silverstone and Barcelona 2023), a
sprint race (Barcelona 2023) and clinched 3 pole positions and 10 podiums.
However, the story doesn’t end here. There is still a long season ahead of us,
starting from Barcelona where Aleix and Aprilia Racing have always delivered
outstanding performances.

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ

“I am happy to announce my retirement as a full-time rider. It has been a wonderful
20 years in this paddock and I am very happy and proud of what we have achieved
together with Aprilia. We made history and that will never be forgotten. I have had so
much fun and we have created an incredible human group. We have a very nice
weekend ahead of us, at a track I like and where I am fast, and there are still plenty
of races left until Valencia to be competitive.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES

“Aleix is a great teammate. We have spent four years together and lived
unforgettable moments. Together, we take Aprilia to the top, I have great memories
with Aleix. We still have a year ahead of us to take Aprilia even higher together.”

MASSIMO RIVOLA

CEO APRILIA RACING

“Thank you Aleix, because with you we have built an incredible story. Thank you for
not giving up in difficult moments and for being a great example for all of us. You won
the captain’s armband on the field by merit. You gave us the first podium, the first
pole position, the first victory here in Barcelona and the first one-two with Maverick.
Your spirit, with your ups and downs, with your character, reflect the energy of this
team and of the whole Noale factory. I don’t know what you will do in the future, but
you will always remain an Aprilia rider. From today a new page opens for the rider
market and Aprilia Racing will certainly not stand idly by. With our style, we will
ensure a great future for this team, which you have helped to make a true top team.”