Aleix Espargaro has revealed he always felt he had less talent than some of the other riders in MotoGP, but overcame this inherent disadvantage by working harder.
The 35-year-old pulled the curtain down on his glittering career as a motorcycle racer at the Barcelona Grand Prix earlier this month, having competed in MotoGP since 2012.
Espargaro is widely hailed for turning Aprilia into the race-winning force it is today after joining the Italian manufacturer’s then-nascent MotoGP programme at the prime of his career in 2017.
Although the move meant a lot of early hardship, with Espargaro finishing as low as 17th in the championship on two occasions, by 2021 his determination finally bore fruit.
So after some standout results in the last four seasons, the Spaniard has departed MotoGP with three grand prix wins, seven poles, 11 podiums and a best finish of fourth in the standings.
In a candid recap of his career, Espargaro said he may not have been as talented as the series’ top guns, but still succeeded in MotoGP by working hard and building a positive atmosphere around him.
“There is a sentence that many people use, that is hard work beats talent - and I truly believe that it is true,” he said.
“I always felt in my career that I had less talent than many of my mates, but by working very hard, using all the efforts, all the resources of my team, all the people around, having a good team around and being smart, you can do what you want.
“I would like to be remembered as one that never gave up.”
The late cancellation of the Valencian Grand Prix and the rescheduling of the final round to Barcelona meant Espargaro finished his career at his home circuit.
It was an emotional weekend for him, which got capped off by fellow countryman Jorge Martin beating Francesco Bagnaia to the 2024 title - both Spaniards were seen congratulating each other on the cooldown lap.
Another highlight for Espargaro came after the sprint race when he received an opportunity to ride the Honda RS125 with which he made his grand prix debut in 2005, meaning his career effectively came full circle.
Recalling the weekend, he said: “I have many moments. When I had the last laps with my first [125cc] bike - it was amazing to see, like the kid that I was. And on Sunday also when I came to the garage and my wife gave me a special helmet.
“I was extremely focused [before the race]. I'm very proud to be able to switch the button after a very difficult [start to the day].
“I cried on the grid so once the light turned green, I was focused on the race so I'm very proud about this, but when I crossed the chequered flag, I started to cry, I couldn't see anything.
“I stopped with Jorge and he started to repeat to me, ‘we made it, we made, this is also yours'.
“It was amazing to say goodbye to all the fans here in Catalunya, with my best friend being world champion, last time for me with Aprilia, it's 10/10.
“This is why I'm saying that I'm a really, really lucky person, the luckiest person.”
