Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro says he "burned his hands" during a hot MotoGP race in Malaysia where he struggled to 13th place.
The Aprilia RS-GP is infamous for its overheating problems, with both Espargaro and team-mate Maverick Vinales having repeatedly expressed concerns about its adverse effects during some of the flyaway races in Asia.
According to Espargaro, the Noale brand has made no progress in this direction this year, which meant that he found it hard to even make it to the finish in last weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix.
Withstanding the heat exuded from the bike for 19 laps in a crash-shortened race, the Spaniard came away with just three championship points as he benefited from incidents further up the pack.
Speaking afterwards, the 35-year-old revealed that the issues not only compromised his own performance at Sepang, but also meant that the bike was running down on power.
“It was very tough,” he described. “I knew that in these types of races [where] it is very, very hot, it is extremely difficult for us. And even more if you start that far on the grid, it has been a real nightmare.
“The engine was really slow, I couldn't overtake anybody. The engine was very, very slow due to the heat.
“I was [only] able to overtake Raul. Then I suffered a lot the last three laps where I almost couldn’t make it to the end, I couldn’t handle the handlebar. The heat was amazing.
“I burned my hands and had to open my visor. The heat is the Achilles heel of this bike."
Espargaro wasn’t the only Aprilia rider to complain about heat issues on a hot and sunny day in Malaysia.
Riding a 2024 RS-GP with last year’s engine, Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez also felt the effects of the bike in Malaysia as he desperately tried to get some air blown onto him on Sepang’s long straights.
“Super difficult to manage with the temperature on the bike. The last four laps I was done. I tried to end the race [out of] respect to the team, respect for all my mechanics,” he said.
“The last four laps I couldn’t live on the bike. All the straight I had my head out of the bike to take some air. It is very difficult especially when you have slipstream you don’t take air.
“I don't feel the hand, I don't feel the foot. I couldn't take the air. It is safe but it is really difficult.”
Vinales wasn’t impacted as severely by an overheating bike as Espargaro and Fernandez, finishing a relatively strong seventh between the Yamahas of Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins.
But the 29-year-old spent most of the race in clean air, with Quartararo circulating several seconds ahead of him in sixth.
