Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro says it’s “not fair” that Jack Miller and Franco Morbidelli will remain on next year’s MotoGP grid despite their current form, when teams could hire young riders in their place.
Espargaro, a veteran of 243 starts, believes MotoGP teams should be giving opportunities to those coming through the ranks instead of signing underperforming riders in the premier class.
His comments follow speculation that Miller has secured a reprieve at Yamaha’s new satellite team Pramac next year after being dropped by KTM in the wake of his poor results with the Austrian marque this year.
Miller will effectively take the place of Morbidelli, who is expected to find a berth at his mentor Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team next year despite his own lacklustre results in 2024.
The Italian is going through a torrid campaign on what is the best bike on the grid after missing all of pre-season testing due to a training injury, but will continue in MotoGP next year thanks to his long association with seven-time MotoGP world champion Rossi.
Espargaro made a rare comment about fellow riders on the eve of this weekend’s Austrian GP, saying it’s sad that a lot of talented youngsters in Moto2 will miss out on a MotoGP seat next year because teams are opting for the likes of Miller and Morbidelli and not giving a newcomers a shot.
Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“I’m not going to comment on that [Miller] because I would get into trouble,” he said initially, before adding: “If I tell you what I think about that and someone else who will end up in VR46, it will be wrong.
“I get on well with Jack, we are neighbours and he has just become a father. I know he likes motorbikes much more than me. I’m very happy that he can still be here. But there’s a much worse case.
“The case of Morbidelli is worse than that of Miller. There is nothing wrong with Morbidelli staying in MotoGP, but when you have a winning bike for so many years in a row, and your team-mates [Fabio Quartararo] beat you every time, in every race and every time trial, it doesn’t seem fair to me that you don’t give the opportunity to the young riders.
“When you have had many winning bikes and you don’t show anything, and they keep giving you options, then you see an Alonso Lopez [in Moto2] who is biting his lips to go up.”
Espargaro will call time on his glittering career as a racer at the end of this season, having already propelled Aprilia from a distant backmarker to a multiple race-winning force in MotoGP.
He will take up the role of test rider at Honda next year, freeing up a seat within the Aprilia fold as a result and leading to a domino effect elsewhere.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Espargaro said one of the reasons he decided to quit MotoGP was to open up space for young riders who are still in Moto2 and have a lot of potential to succeed at the top level in the coming years.
“That’s why I’ve decided to take a step aside next year, because I have the feeling that I’m not at 1000% like these guys can be,” he said. “I don’t have that desire to race anymore, and it doesn’t seem fair to me to stay here.”
One team that has opted for youth over experience is Aprilia’s own satellite squad Trackhouse, which has signed Moto2 frontrunner Ai Ogura to partner incumbent Raul Fernandez.
Espargaro hailed team boss Davide Brivio for showing faith in Ogura, who currently sits second in the standings behind team-mate Sergio Garcia, instead of looking elsewhere on the current grid.
“For a team manager like Brivio to take a gamble with someone like Ogura is ‘chapeau’ [well done],” he said.
“I think Ogura is very good; he is aggressive, he works on his own. I think it’s a great signing, it’s the best thing Trackhouse could do.”
