Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro has confessed that he is once again considering the option of stepping away from full-time MotoGP competition. However, he is now also contemplating the attractive idea of transitioning into a less demanding test rider role and taking charge of developing a team’s new 850cc machine for 2027.
At 35 years old, Espargaro has been the oldest full-time rider on the grid since Andrea Dovizioso’s retirement in late 2022. Despite Aprilia’s apparent willingness to retain him as their “captain,” especially after failing to secure Fabio Quartararo, Espargaro claims that he is far from making a decision.
While speaking to the media ahead of the Grand Prix of the Americas, Espargaro stated, “Hopefully Aprilia will offer me a new position, but that’s not the most important thing. What matters is whether I want to stay or not, and I haven’t made up my mind yet. I want to wait a little longer, at least until Mugello in May, to assess my performance before deciding.”
“I’m enjoying myself this year, but I want to compete for the top five in every race, or it might be my last one. I still need to figure out what the best future for me is. If I continue racing full-time, I don’t think it will be anywhere other than Aprilia. I want to excel. That’s my current obsession—to finish on the podium every weekend—and then I’ll make a decision.”
Over the past year, Espargaro has been indecisive about how long he wants to remain a premier-class rider, but he had not previously considered the possibility of transitioning to a part-time role. However, he now acknowledges that the increased importance of factory test teams in modern MotoGP makes this idea more appealing.
In doing so, he has also hinted that while he would only consider continuing as a full-time rider with Aprilia, there may be other potential suitors in the test rider market.
“Perhaps I’ll decide to stop and participate in some wildcards as a test rider. Maybe I’ll decide to stop entirely. I need to make a decision, but I haven’t yet,” Espargaro shared. “It’s a new job, a new role that didn’t exist five years ago. We now understand how crucial it is. Ducati and Michele Pirro changed the game six years ago, and now we see with Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaro at KTM that Yamaha and Honda need to step up their game with their test teams because they are not on the same level as the Italians or the KTM test team.”
“It’s a great opportunity for me, and that’s why I’m seriously considering it. It’s something I truly enjoy. I’ve had a lot of fun with Aprilia over the past six or seven years, and I believe we’ve done an excellent job. I’ve learned a lot, and that’s also a possibility for the future.”