Aleix Espargaro stated he feels as though his “job at Aprilia is done” as he turns a new chapter in his career after disclosing his ambition to bring Honda back to the front after announcing his move to the team as its test rider for 2025.
Espargaro played a key role in elevating Aprilia’s competitiveness in the premier class since joining the Italian outfit in 2017.
When he joined, the Aprilia team were one of the worst bikes on the grid and he has reshaped the team into a race-winning bike. He has earned himself three MotoGP victories during his seven-year stint with the Italian marque.
Following his announcement at the Catalan Grand Prix, where he revealed he was retiring from full-time racing at the end of the season, he elected to switch to Honda for 2025 to accompany Stefan Bradl as a test rider.
Honda’s prominent struggles in 2024 have seen all four full-time riders pick up 24 points between them, which is its worst start to the season in MotoGP history.
At the German Grand Prix the 34-year-old veteran stated he is looking forward to the next chapter of his career and that his ‘job is done’ with Aprilia.
“I don’t know why I have the feeling that my job is done in Aprilia,” he said at the Sachsenring. “I did everything. I worked very, very hard during the eight seasons to help them to put them on top. My job is done.
“They have a good test rider with [Lorenzo] Savadori who is doing a great job. So it’s also a good motivation for me and a good opportunity to join HRC.
“They are not in their best moment for sure. If I can help them to be back on top it will be fantastic.
He added: “I have been in talks with the top Japanese management and they really believe and trust in me. This is what made me decide to go because it’s a really, really good opportunity.”
Espargaro wants to bring more than technical expertise to Honda, as he stated that he thinks he can help bring out the best in current riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini.
“It’s not just about technically where I will obviously try to raise up the level of the bike which I did for example with Aprilia but I will also try to be a team player, trying to work with the riders, to be in the garage, to bring there the mood that I feel during these eight seasons in Aprilia,” he said.
“It’s very, very important and they really need this also.
He added: “They are missing everything. Imagine how difficult it is for a team as HRC that they were winning every single weekend and now they finish outside of the points [almost] every single weekend. So this is a shock, emotionally.
“For example Joan Mir is a world champion and now he is not able to finish races.”
Espargaro’s younger brother Pol rode for the factory Honda team alongside Marc Marquez in 2021 and 2022, which took a toll on his body, but after discussions with senior Honda staff, Aleix can see that the new long-term direction is only positive for the future.
“When Pol arrived there, they were winning the year before,” he said. “The last three-four seasons for Honda have not been easy mentally to understand what’s going on.
“So I think now they really understood that they have to change. They really trust me, the opportunity they gave to me is fantastic. I don’t have to say, but it’s the biggest brand of this paddock so they have to be back on top and fighting for the victories.”
