Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaró, just missed out on Q2 having been knocking on the door in free practice and Q1. Narrowly missing out on making it through to Q2 for the third time Aleix is nonetheless satisfied with his set-up for another strong race on Sunday. A light crash in the morning did not prevent him from improving in every session and the Catalan rider is ready to push for best CRT finish in the race for the third time this season. Unlike at Austin, Randy de Puniet is much closer to his teammate this weekend and despite the grip problems affecting all the riders the Frenchman was able to get within four tenths of Espargaro. At a circuit he loves De Puniet will go out full gas on Sunday to fight for CRT top spot.
13th Aleix Espargaró 1.40.085:
“Yesterday I was hoping I’d make it through to Q2 today. This morning we were close to qualifying but I made a mistake and crashed which cost me time. I gave it my all in Q2 but it was tough, as it was so hot and the bike was really sliding. I just missed out but I’m not worried because we have great pace and our set-up feels good for the race. The heat will make the race seem long and we have to be sure to avoid errors. The track was greasy this afternoon and having seen so many crashes we need to be careful tomorrow in the race.”
15th Randy De Puniet 1.40.466:
“Track temperature is really affecting our work, but we adapted well and luckily didn’t struggle as much as some others did. I was close to Aleix in lap times and I followed him on some sectors. He went through some of the fast corners quicker than me but I was able to stay quite close. We’re getting some chatter perhaps due to the heat, but we’re going in the right direction if we’re close to Aleix’s times. We will make some adjustments in warm-up and I think we can fight with Aleix during the race. I’m not that happy with my grid slot but I’m gaining more and more confidence. We need to be patient but ready to ponce when we can.”
Power Electronic Aspar Press Release
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