Espargaro: 2015 Ducati deal was "practically done"
Aleix Espargaro has revealed a deal to join Ducati for the 2015 MotoGP season was “practically done”, before it ultimately retained Andrea Dovizioso.
Espargaro made his full-time MotoGP debut in 2010 with Pramac Ducati, before returning in 2012 with the Aspar team on its Aprilia-derived CRT machine in 2012.
He moved to the Forward Racing Yamaha team for 2014, where he managed a podium in a wet Aragon Grand Prix, and eventually signed with Suzuki to spearhead the Japanese marque’s return to the series in 2015.
However, in the Spanish MotoGP podcast, Espargaro revealed he had “shaken hands” with Ducati General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna “three weeks before” agreeing to join Suzuki to ride for the Italian marque.
However, such a move would have rested on Dovizioso choosing to join Suzuki at a time the Hamamatsu marque showed great interest in the Italian, instead of staying put at Ducati.
“In the end, everything goes as it goes,” Espargaro said. “I had a very unstructured sports career at the beginning and when I came to MotoGP, I have always shown that I am a very hard-working rider.
“When I signed after the year with Forward Racing [2014], when I achieved seventh in the world championship with the Open bike, I signed with Suzuki.
“But I had shaken hands with Gigi Dall'Igna three weeks before to go to Ducati, it was practically all done, and in that time Dovizioso ended up staying [instead of going to Suzuki].”
Espargaro managed to finish 11th overall in 2015 on a woefully underpowered Suzuki GSX-RR, scoring pole position in Barcelona, but struggled with the switch from Bridgestone rubber to Michelin the following year.
He lost his place at Suzuki at the end of the year to Ducati outcast Andrea Iannone, moving to Aprilia for 2017 where he has remained since.
“So I went to Suzuki,” he added. “At that time, I had the opportunity to be in two of the most powerful factories in the championship and ended up in Suzuki.
“I had a good year with Suzuki and the second year the reality is that the change of tyres from Bridgestone to Michelin cost me a lot, but it is not an excuse, I was not up to it: Maverick [Vinales] won a grand prix [at Silverstone], he was much more competitive than me.
“I think I didn't have a bad year because I did a lot of top five and top six results, but I was not at Maverick's level, that's the reality.”
Previous article
MotoGP rules out running double-header races
Next article
MotoGP manufacturers reject one bike per rider idea
About this article
| Series | MotoGP |
| Drivers | Aleix Espargaro |
| Teams | Ducati Team |
| Author | Lewis Duncan |
How Jerez underlined MotoGP's speed problem
The brutal nature of a series of crashes at Jerez has reopened the debate about whether current MotoGP speeds are beyond the safety limits of the tracks. But even if riders are supportive of the move, getting the manufacturers to find a consensus on how speed reductions should be achieved may be altogether harder
How a Crutchlow helped Miller to Jerez MotoGP redemption
Jack Miller’s tough start to life as a factory Ducati MotoGP rider left him mentally battered and bruised, but a pep talk and positive reinforcement from a surprising source aided the Australian to show his full potential with victory at the Spanish Grand Prix
What does Marc Marquez have to do to get back to his best?
Following his resounding MotoGP return with a seventh place finish in Portugal, Marc Marquez now must work to rediscover his best form before turning his attention towards results-based targets
How Yamaha's rookie-spec MotoGP star is taking charge
Fabio Quartararo is on a roll in 2021 after storming to victory at a venue five months earlier served up one of his worst races. Contrasting Portuguese GPs for Yamaha's factory duo make it hard to understand just how good its 2021 MotoGP bike is, but the Portimao weekend did at least expose one key improvement compared to 2020
The hurdles Marquez faces next in his Portugal MotoGP return
Even by Marc Marquez’s own high standards, his MotoGP comeback on Friday at the Portuguese Grand Prix will be considered a success even if he didn’t top the times. But having shown competitive pace on his first day back, both Marquez and his rivals know plenty more challenges are to come...
Where does Espargaro sit ahead of Marquez's return?
Pol Espargaro’s first results as a Honda MotoGP rider may not appear special. But dig a little deeper and a clearer picture of his performance emerges. And, as Lewis Duncan writes, it’s cause for celebration at Honda with the return of Marc Marquez set to provide Espargaro with the reference he has been missing so far this year
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
Why MotoGP's stewards must revisit Miller and Mir's Losail clash
Despite Suzuki’s decision not to appeal against Race Direction’s refusal to penalise Jack Miller following the incident with Joan Mir in Losail, something must be done to avoid a repeat of such an incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy
