Espargaro wants Aprilia to replicate Ducati/Dovizioso MotoGP example
Aleix Espargaro says his "objective" with Aprilia in MotoGP is to replicate what Andrea Dovizioso has achieved at Ducati, as his and the team's transformation has been "unbelievable"
Dovizioso joined Ducati in 2013, but did not get his first podium for the marque until two years later.
However, he has been runner-up in the championship and Marc Marquez's closest rival for the last three seasons.
Aprilia finished last in this year's manufacturers' standings, and Espargaro was 14th in the riders' table having managed just five top-10 finishes.
After commenting that Dovizioso is his favourite rider, and saying Ducati's strategy of keeping Dovizioso as part of a stable line-up was "clever", Espargaro said Aprilia has to follow this example.
"It is, this is our objective [to replicate Dovizioso and Ducati], 100%," said Espargaro, when asked by Autosport if what Dovizioso has done was an inspiration for him.
"This is what we would like. The easiest thing would be to change team and find a factory bike, another place even in a private team and try to fight for the podium.
"But the nice thing, and the thing that I would like, is to put Aprilia on the podiums as he did with Ducati.
"When he arrived at Ducati, the Ducati was super far [from the front] and look at the level of the bike now.
"He's close this year to 300 points [Dovizioso score 269 in 2019]; this is unbelievable.
"The problem is the best rider in history [Marquez] is there, so second place in the championship is like a title."
Aprilia is set to radically overhaul its RS-GP in 2020, though had nothing new to trial at the Valencia and Jerez tests in November.
Though the manufacturer's owner Piaggio is "very big", Espargaro said Aprilia is "proving on track" with its results that it is MotoGP's smallest manufacturer and that its resources do not currently match that of the rest of the grid.
"Today, no," he replied, when asked if Aprilia's resources are enough to battle the big teams.
"Because it's there, you can see the results we've done in the last three years, but Aprilia joined MotoGP in the last five years [in 2015].
"So, it looks like we are missing something because we are not at the level of our rivals.
"What I want to say that actually Aprilia is very, very big. Piaggio group is very big, so we have to prove that on track.
"I hope that in the future we can change this. It's not nice to hear - it's the reality - but it's not nice to hear from you guys that we are the smallest ones, but this is what we are proving on track.
"So, this is what we have to change."
Yamaha MotoGP squad has offered retired Lorenzo test role for 2020
Rossi: "We must be stronger" to renew Yamaha MotoGP contract
Why physical fitness is an understimated challenge for IndyCar rookies
The lack of in-car physical fitness is an “underestimated” hurdle for an IndyCar Series rookie, according to Dale Coyne Racing's Indy Lights graduate Sting Ray Robb.
Bubba Wallace ‘got dumped’ by Austin Dillon in NASCAR Clash
Bubba Wallace says Austin Dillon “dumped” him out of second place in NASCAR’s chaotic Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday night.
Albon warns Williams has "long road ahead" to recover in F1
Alex Albon admits that his Williams Formula 1 team has a “long road ahead” as it tries to progress up the field this year.
Toyota won’t put more pressure on Katsuta at WRC Rally Sweden
Toyota World Rally Championship boss Jari-Matti Latvala says the team won’t "put more pressure" on Takamoto Katsuta to deliver in his first drive for the factory team this weekend.
The other Suzuki signing that could transform Honda's MotoGP form
Following Suzuki's decision to quit MotoGP, both of its former riders have landed at Honda for 2023. But perhaps its biggest signing from the now-defunct team could instead be a highly-rated technical manager. Is Ken Kawauchi the right man at the right time to steer HRC back to glory?
How the MotoGP paddock has offered refuge to Suzuki's former team
Suzuki's unexpected departure left more than 40 professionals virtually jobless for the 2023 MotoGP season. But that human drama has been successfully corrected by the paddock itself, with most former Suzuki crew-members absorbed into other operations
How one MotoGP team went from title fights to losing it all in four years
The Petronas Sepang Racing Team came into MotoGP with a bang in 2019 as regular front-runners, with wonder rookie Fabio Quartararo mounting a title challenge in 2020. But it all went wrong for the Razlan Razali-helmed squad as the team changed hands and tumbled down the order - and RNF Racing plans to right this in 2023
Is MotoGP's comeback king ready to reclaim his throne?
Marc Marquez’s sixth premier MotoGP title seems a long time ago given the injury woes he has faced in the three years since. At the end of a fraught 2022, in which he had a fourth major operation on his right arm, the Spaniard speaks exclusively to Autosport
How MotoGP’s underachiever is working to reverse its fortunes in 2023
As European manufacturers emerged as the strongest force in 2022 in a changing of the guard for MotoGP, one powerhouse couldn’t quite match the feats of Ducati and Aprilia. Its motorsport chief tells Autosport why this is and what it is doing to become a consistent frontrunner in the class of kings
How MotoGP riders are preparing for the physical stress of sprint races
With the expansion of the calendar to 21 grands prix and the introduction of sprint races, the 2023 MotoGP season will take the riders to almost 1,300 kilometres of competition more than this year, a factor that forces adjustments in their physical preparations.
The Ducati rider who is much more than just the brother of a MotoGP legend
Surname pressure is something many have had to deal with in their motorsport careers. And while Luca Marini doesn’t have that, his familial relation and the team he rides for in MotoGP have cast a brighter spotlight on his progress. But, as he has shown in 2022 – and as he reveals to Autosport – Marini is so much more than just the brother of a legend
Ranking the top 10 riders of MotoGP 2022
The 2022 MotoGP season was another hotly contested championship, with Francesco Bagnaia emerging as the title winner after the campaign went to the wire. Autosport picks out the 10 best performers of the season
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.