Espargaro: “Difficult to understand why” we’re fast, ‘surprisingly positive’

Both Espargaro and Vinales finished inside the top three and in Espargaro’s case was just over a tenth down on the Pramac Ducati rider.

Phillip Island was a very difficult round for the Spaniard, but Buriram seems to be an opportunity for him to step back on the podium for the first time since completing the double at Barcelona.

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“It’s a bit more complicated,” began Espargaro. “Last year Australia and Buriram were the two worst circuits for us. We were out of the points even in the dry. 

“This year it looks like we can use a lot more power, more engine brake and it looks like we have a lot more mechanical grip. 

“It’s difficult to understand why. I don’t really have a clear answer yet. Anyway, the important thing is that we are competitive on both tyres. It’s just Friday but it’s surprisingly positive.”

When looking at the Aprilia’s strengths, corner speed and traction, especially on low grip circuits, have been big positives for the Italian brand in 2023.

But braking has not been quite as strong compared to the likes of Ducati riders Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin, or Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo for that matter.

And despite the strong start in Thailand, Espargaro feels this is still a weak point: “It’s clear that one of our weakest points is the stopping area. 

“We are not sitting in the right position. We are not putting enough weight on the rear to stop the bike. 

“I’m trying to bring my body closer to the rear of the tyre, because even if they change the 2024 bike in terms of geometry or weight, the weight that the rider can apply to the bike is always ten times higher than the engineer's changes.”

Espargaro also gave his thoughts on the bizarre incident that saw Marc Marquez hit by a winglet off Martin’s bike.

The pair were returning to pit lane when a front winglet flew off and hit Marquez.

A dangerous incident, Espargaro said that this has to be expected and that he’s lost several winglets this season alone.

“When you break one it can fly away,” said Espargaro. “This will always happen. I broke the wings many times this year and race with one wing like in Assen. If the wing goes away it can hit another rider.”