The Spaniard – who will start his 200th premier class race on Sunday – was in strong form across the condensed Saturday schedule at Termas de Rio Hondo, leading an Aprilia 1-2 in FP2 before taking pole by 0.151 seconds in qualifying.
It’s Espargaro’s third pole in MotoGP and makes him the first rider in the modern era to top qualifying on three different bikes (Forward Yamaha at Assen 2014, Suzuki at Barcelona in 2015, Aprilia at Rio Hondo in 2022).
Since joining Aprilia in 2017, Espargaro helped drag Aprilia from the back of the grid and feels his Argentina pole is “my present” to the Italian marque for his efforts.
“I’m very happy, especially [I’m] proud of what we are achieving,” Espargaro said on Saturday.
“It’s my sixth season in Aprilia and I know how far we’ve come from, how far we’ve suffered.
“So, to prove at least today that we have been the fastest bike of the world is something that makes me happy.
“It’s not super important because the points will come [in the race], but for a rider to feel this speed, to feel that you are the fastest one is always great.
“And it’s the first one for Aprilia, it’s a very nice moment. So, I would like to dedicate this to everyone in the MotoGP project – not just on track, but also at Noale.
“I’m very happy and this is my present for everyone at Aprilia.”
