The Moto2 World Championship round at the demanding Chang International Circuit left Álex Escrig with mixed feelings. The rider from Puçol showed competitive performance throughout most of the weekend, confirming his progress, although various factors ended up affecting the final result in the race.
From the very first sessions in Buriram, the samurai made it clear that he was ready to fight for the top positions. Friday was particularly positive, and on Saturday morning he continued in the same vein, establishing himself as one of the riders with the pace to aim for a good result in the Grand Prix.
However, qualifying completely changed the script for the weekend. In Q2, a combination of circumstances prevented Escrig from completing a competitive fast lap. The Valencian rider was unable to set a valid time in the final session, forcing him to start from 18th on the grid, a starting point far removed from his true potential.
Despite this, the rider from Puçol approached the race confident in his pace to move up the field. But on Sunday, things got complicated again. The race was marked by red flags that disrupted the normal flow of the race and ended up reducing the final distance to just seven laps, an unfavourable scenario for those who needed to make up ground from behind.
Another key factor added to this situation. After FP2, they made some changes to the set-up that could not be properly confirmed in qualifying, and which did not deliver the expected results in the race either.
The Valencian rider also analysed how the interruptions and adjustments to the bike affected the final result. "We had the pace to make up ground, but the race was full of red flags and in the end, doing a seven-lap race made it very difficult to recover positions. In addition, after FP2 we made some changes that we couldn't confirm in Q2, and in the race I didn't get the feeling I was hoping for either," Alex explained after the race.
Even so, the final balance leaves some positive points. Escrig managed to salvage the weekend by scoring points and finishing close to the Top 10, achieving one of his goals and gaining valuable experience in a season that continues to be one of growth.
With his sights already set on the next match in the championship, the samurai is optimistic about the upcoming challenge. ‘We are really looking forward to Brazil because we can do very well there,’ he concluded.
The World Championship continues, and if the Thai Grand Prix made one thing clear, it is that the rider from Puçol already has the pace to fight for higher positions. All that is needed now is for circumstances to allow him to transform that potential into even better results.