MotoGP is losing its oldie! Aleix Espargaro announced on Thursday before his home Grand Prix in Barcelona that he will not extend his expiring Aprilia contract and will instead end his active racing career in MotoGP at the end of the 2024 season. The 34-year-old Catalan had been openly flirting with a departure from the premier class for some time and announced a decision around the Italian GP in Mugello (May 31 – June 2). He has now made this decision a week early.
“As you can imagine, I will retire from MotoGP as a full-time rider at the end of the season. It has been a wonderful journey that I have enjoyed very much,” Espargaro announced with tears in his eyes at a specially convened press conference. The decision to retire was not an easy one for him: “I have had a strange career. I am very happy to have won my first race at over 30 years of age. My head tells me that I am still competitive, I feel good physically. But my heart tells me that I want to be more at home with my family. Thanks to Aprilia, the last few years have been a dream!”
Aleix Espargaro: From backbencher to MotoGP winner with Aprilia
Espargaro had already made his debut in the motorcycle world championship in 2004 as a wildcard, and from 2005 he was a permanent fixture in the paddock. What followed was an unparalleled rise: in 2009 he made his MotoGP debut completely unexpectedly as a reserve rider, but the Catalan then established himself in the premier class through strong performances with backbench teams and signed his first factory contract with Suzuki in 2015. Even though he was unable to meet the high expectations there, such a career trajectory was not at all foreseeable in his youth and was therefore already a complete success. But things were about to get much better: in 2017, the man with the starting number 41 moved on to Aprilia, where he has found a new home to this day.
Together, Espargaro and the Italian manufacturer from Noale went through numerous difficult times and many years at the back of the MotoGP field before a steady upward trend began in 2021. The first podium in Silverstone was followed by the emotional first Grand Prix victory in the 200th MotoGP race in Argentina at the beginning of 2022. For a long time that season, Espargaro even fought for the world title with Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo; it was only a slump in performance on the overseas tour in Asia that finally threw him off track. Nevertheless: The ‘captain’ had arrived at the top of the premier class and was also a regular contender for top results in 2023.
Vinale’s new team leader at Aprilia: who will be his teammate?
In recent months, however, the veteran rider has increasingly taken a back seat at Aprilia, while his teammate Maverick Vinales has been doing better in recent weeks. Most recently in Le Mans, Espargaro was more than seven seconds behind his teammate in the main race, who was only able to beat him last time at the season opener in Qatar. Since he had always made his decision about whether to end or continue his career dependent on his own performance level, the end of his career at this point in time is not exactly surprising. With 51 points, he is currently ‘only’ in eighth place in the drivers’ championship, 30 points and three positions behind his teammate Vinales, who has already won one Grand Prix and two sprints. It is certain that ‘Top Gun’ will become Aprilia’s new team leader next year.
It is still unclear who will take the vacant seat at Aprilia. There is certainly no shortage of candidates, and the most likely option is a Ducati rider who was denied the second factory seat alongside Bagnaia: Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez or Enea Bastianini, with whom Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola has flirted in the past. Marco Bezzecchi has also been mentioned as a candidate by the media in recent weeks due to his Italian passport.