The Aprilia rider hits back after a penalty, then hits the deck on Saturday morning at Assen
Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro has booked his place in MotoGP™ Q2 at the Motul TT Assen with the fastest lap of FP3, but it was hardly a trouble-free session for the Spaniard. Having been penalised after FP2, Espargaro needed a good performance to lift himself off the bottom of the pile, and would set a 1:32.164 to top the Saturday morning session at the TT Circuit Assen despite a late crash. World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo was only 0.041 seconds slower on his Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ entry, with Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins taking third.
Espargaro quickly gets himself out of trouble
Espargaro’s Friday had ended with the cancellation of his last run in FP2 as punishment for a technical breach, the effect of which was to put him to the very bottom of the timesheet. Fortunately for him, dry conditions greeted riders for FP3 and the Aprilia pilot banked a 1:33.428 on his second flying lap to go third-quickest on combined times. Espargaro and team-mate Maverick Viñales were riding in tandem, the latter going top with an early 1:32.960 before clocking a 1:32.911 at the quarter-hour mark.
Everyone turned up the wick for the second runs, Espargaro resetting the fastest lap to a 1:32.518, then Viñales a 1:32.487, and Espargaro again with a 1:32.164. Quartararo split them with a 1:32.205 with around eight minutes to go in the 45-minute session, before Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) jumped from 15th to third on a 1:32.440.
Mayhem in the time attacks
The final five minutes were full of drama, with red and orange sectors all over the timing screen, and yellow flags around much of the Assen circuit. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) had a slow spill at De Strubben (Turn 5) before Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) had a fast off at the Ruskenhoek (Turn 7), and Espargaro lost the front at Ossebroeken (Turn 3) inside the final two minutes – all three riders okay.
The wash-up was that Espargaro retained first position despite not improving on his final run, and Quartararo held onto second despite a 1:32.166 – just 0.002 seconds slower than the #41 Aprilia rider’s fastest lap – being crossed out due to one of the many yellow flags. Rins claimed third…