The Dutch Grand Prix left Alex Escrig with mixed feelings following a weekend in which he once again demonstrated his pace and competitiveness at the ever-demanding Assen Circuit. The rider from Puzol started the event feeling very positive, finishing sixth in both FP1 and Friday’s practice session – a result that saw him qualify directly for Q2 and confirmed the high standard he had shown from the outset. “It was a weekend that gave us a lot of positive feelings, and we showed that we had the pace to achieve a strong result,” Alex summed up at the end of the Grand Prix.
On Saturday, the ‘Samurai’ focused his efforts in FP2 on preparing for the race, prioritising an analysis of the bike’s behaviour with a full tank over chasing a fast lap time. Even so, he finished the session with the twelfth-fastest time before heading into Q2, where he took another step forward to secure eighth on the grid. This result confirmed the potential he had shown throughout the weekend and allowed him to go into the race with hopes of battling for a place in the leading group.
On Sunday, Escrig put in a solid performance, remaining competitive right from the start and crossing the finish line in a creditable seventh place. However, a penalty imposed after the race saw him relegated to 24th place overall, casting a shadow over the great work done throughout the weekend. “Unfortunately, it didn’t end in the best way due to a mistake. That’s part of racing,” explained Alex after learning of the decision.
Despite the outcome, the sporting assessment of the weekend gives cause for optimism. The pace shown at Assen confirms the progress made by the rider from Puzol, who continues to develop in the Moto2 World Championship and currently sits 13th in the overall standings. “We’ll take the positives from this weekend and use this race as extra motivation to keep working hard and come back even stronger for the next round,” concluded the Spanish rider.