Aleix Espargaro suffers a fractured right heel

Victim of a heavy fall during the final free practice session of the British GP at Silverstone, Aleix Espargaro then had to grit his teeth during qualifying, but also during the race. 

Went to the medical center for an initial assessment, the x-rays detected nothing. “It was 100% my fault,” he told Spanish television DAZN on Sunday. I was very impatient with the tire, it was the second lap and it was cold. I don't remember many falls like this in my career, I fell at almost 200 km/h and the impact went into my heels. On Saturday, I couldn't walk, but the doctors did a crazy job, they gave me infiltrations for the race and I barely had any pain. »

If Aleix Espargaro manages to set a good time, he's a hero considering how he limps 😱#BritishGP 🇬🇧 #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/kyScmN7Mk6

— CANAL+ MotoGP™ (@CanalplusMotoGP) August 6

Although reduced, the Aprilia rider still managed to reach the finish line in ninth place, just 3.9 seconds behind the winner Francesco Bagnaia. “I felt pretty good in the race and I wasn't in too much pain, but I wasn't able to move comfortably on the bike and be aggressive,” he said after the finish on Sunday. So I couldn't overtake. I didn't make a single overtake the whole race and that was a deciding factor for the result. In any case, I don't want to make excuses. The crash obviously didn't help with confidence, but we weren't able to be as fast as we wanted today. I didn't have much traction, especially on the right side, and I couldn't keep up with the leaders. It's a shame, because we showed good potential during testing. »

A heroic performance for the Catalan who only dropped one point fabio quartararo to the general. “We lost almost nothing in the standings,” he said. The championship is still very open and the last part of the season will certainly be interesting! »

When he returned on Monday, he still took exams at Dexeus University Hospital. Doctors eventually diagnosed him with a fractured right heel. No intervention is required, but Espargaro will need to rest and get around with crutches to avoid putting weight on his foot.