AFTER A GOOD FP1, ESPARGARÓ AND REDDING FIND THEMSELVES GRAPPLING WITH GRIP PROBLEMS IN THE SECOND FREE PRACTICE SESSION
The first free practice session on Friday for the GP of Spain in Jerez smiled on the Aprilia machines which placed in the top ten with Scott Redding (tenth time at 1'39.585) and just outside the top ten with Aleix Espargaró, thirteenth with a time of 1’39.899 after an entire session ridden on medium tyres. Things went differently in the afternoon FP2 session, where both of the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders had to reckon with a lack of grip and traction problems. This situation kept them way out of the top ten, and therefore the spots that would have sent them straight through to Q2 tomorrow. Scott finished in fifteenth place in the combined rankings, whereas Aleix slid down to nineteenth place, both among the few who did not improve after the first session.
This postpones the assault on the top positions until Saturday - spots that seemed to be within reach for the RS-GP at the start of the weekend.