The doors to MotorLand Aragon are open again, with the pre-event press conference for the Gran Premio TISSOT de Aragon, championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), closest challenger and reigning world champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Jack Miller from Ducati Lenovo Team, Alex Rins from Team Suzuki Ecstar, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) on the podium at Silverstone, home hero Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) and returning Maverick Viñales making his debut with Aprilia Racing Team Gresini.
Here are some of the most important quotes!
Fabio Quartararo: “It’s a completely different situation than last year. I didn’t do a bad race in 2019, but now I have a completely different feeling on the bike, I’m in a different situation and I feel a lot better. Obviously it’s not my favorite track, but I’ve been pretty quick on some tracks that I didn’t like this year, so it’s not that important. It’s not my favorite place here, but of course I’ll do the same job as always and try to fight for the best position.
“I think what I didn’t have last year … the consistency. We were fast in Jerez, Barcelona and even Misano, it just went up and down. This year I’ve been really consistent and it’s changed a lot and I think fighting for the championship is the most important key. So if I have to say something, I would say that I could stay constant this year. “
Joan Mir: “It was a shame at Silverstone, before the Grand Prix I expected a lot more and to be honest, I had a few problems during the race and couldn’t finish better. Luckily the other championship contenders made some mistakes and were in trouble too and yes, I’m second but I don’t look at it much. I think we have to go backwards, it’s important to start here with a good feeling, let’s see if I can find it again and fighting for victory on Sunday would be great too. I’ll do my best and see where we are.
“We lost a bit of speed compared to last year. The thing we wanted to improve this year was something that we could have improved a little … not that we made it worse, but we didn’t improve as expected. That made everything a little more difficult. There is still a lot of racing and I think there is room for improvement. “
Jack Miller: “It was really nice to be strong at the end of the race, it’s been a while. To be able to show that I was able to take care of the tires, especially at Silverstone which is one of the most brutal tracks on tires, to take care of them and do a solid second half of the race was key. I really enjoyed it. I had to lunge on Aleix on the last lap, that was one of those things, you don’t just turn around and give it to him. And I think it would certainly have made his podium a little more special, it was a lot of fun and we hope that we can do it all again here in Aragon on Sunday.
“We have a more consistent bike among us this year when we look at the performance on every track. I think we’re in a good position but we won’t know until we go to FP1 tomorrow. As you said the weather is a lot warmer than last year and it feels more like an Aragon GP now. We were on the podium here in 2019, last year both races were shocking, in the second I only made it to Turn 2, so hopefully we’ll be able to turn our luck this year. Six races remain, we are fifth in the championship and yes, we still have to score a few points on the board. “
Alex Espargaro: “I have a little more confidence after the result at Silverstone. Obviously the podium was very important, but the most important thing for me was the level that we showed in every GP. We’re always close to the top guys in different conditions, so obviously I’m feeling a little more relaxed now after the podium. Now we’re trying to do better to keep fighting for the podium. It’s a track that I really like and on which the bike has worked quite well in the past. The weather looks better than last season when we struggled a lot because it was cold so I can’t wait to ride the new bike here.
“I am very happy that Maverick has joined our team. I think it arrived at the best moment in Aprilia racing history. We’ve been talking to Maverick about Aprilia for a long time, about coming to us in the future, but after the thing in Austria I’m super happy that he can ride with us again. As my team-mate, I think that with Sava in the test team role, we also have a very strong team. I think the future is bright for us, of course it won’t be easy to improve from where we are now, the level is very high, the drivers in front of me are very strong and so are their machines, but the challenge is very nice, so Maverick and I are ready for it! “
Alex kidneys: “As in the first half of the season, with all the ups and downs, we deserved the podium, me and the team. We arrived on this route with a lot of confidence. It’s a track that I really enjoy, the layout is amazing, but all the riders are super fast and the level in MotoGP is super high. Let’s see where we stand, we will give our 100%.
“It was hard to accept, but in the end we worked hard with the team, my personal team and racing team and after the summer break we came to Austria with a different mentality, tried to race and learn race after race and enjoy it drive and in the end i think it’s the best idea. We suffered a bit for the layout in Austria, but at Silverstone we were able to show our true potential and yes, let’s see how things continue here. “
Pol Espargaro: “Well… I don’t trust such steps as much as you work well on a weekend after a tough season and everything changes. I trust in the hard work, the season was definitely not what we wanted, in the end we worked a lot to make it in one weekend, ok, it was Silverstone, but our goal is not to have a weekend for them Season. We want to maintain this pace for the rest of the season or, if it is not possible this year, do a good pre-season preparation next year and hammer next year. For all of us, Honda’s goal, we’re so far back in the championship that we have no chance of fighting for something, shall we say, interesting. We keep our heads down, maybe we will end up here and suffer again. Trust me when I tell you that I, including Honda, are working hard to be the best possible package in the second half of the season or at the beginning of next season.
“I’ve been in the last few races, last year I fought some of them, but last year I fought with other drivers, not the ones I faced at Silverstone. Surely the way they approach the overtaking maneuver and the way they overtake you are very different. It allows you to drive in a different way, much calmer, more relaxed, no one is going to overtake you in a crazy way if you are first or second. They are smoother in their overtaking maneuvers and everything is much easier when you are ahead and you don’t have to be stressed and recover positions, just try to overtake the other and protect the inside every lap. So the race was a lot easier, even if I ended up in the top 5. As you say this place has been good for Honda at least last year, but as Jack said the temperature has changed a lot this year. We are sometimes confronted, the route changes so much from one week to the next that we don’t know from one year to the next, especially with the temperatures we will be exposed to at the weekend. “
Outsider Viñales: “I am more than excited, I am very hungry and motivated to start this story with Aprilia. The six races ahead are just a gift to better prepare for the next year. Our priority is to learn, of course it’s very different, I have to learn a lot and learn quickly.
“Of course this year sparked a lot of fire in me. We just want to push. I’ve been away for a while but I think we’ll be back fine. After the two tests, I feel positive being here and gaining experience over a weekend and we just have to learn. “
Those are the facts of the press conference where MotorLand Aragon is ready to deliver a thriller. Tune in when free practice begins on Friday morning before the lights go out for the premier class race on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (GMT +2)!