The debut of the Brazilian Grand Prix at the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna saw one of Alex Escrig’s most solid performances of the year. The driver from Puçol kicked off the weekend by making his mark from Friday onwards, topping FP1 and securing direct entry into Q2 following a consistent session in changing conditions. Right from the start, the Samurai showed he could adapt quickly to a circuit that was completely new to the grid.
Saturday, however, was marked by uncertainty. Escrig finished tenth in FP2, on a day dominated by track conditions that forced the cancellation of the qualifying session. Everything came down to Sunday, when the Valencian rider responded with authority: third place in qualifying and a front-row grid position, achieving one of the team’s main objectives amidst widespread chaos.
Once the race was underway, Alex made a spectacular start that saw him take the lead on the first lap, sparking excitement in his pit. From then on, the rider from Puçol settled into third place for much of the race, showing a competitive pace against his direct rivals. However, tyre wear in the final laps affected his performance, and with half a lap to go he lost his podium position, eventually crossing the finish line in fourth place, his best result to date in the championship.
After the race, Escrig himself reflected on the weekend with maturity: “It was a positive weekend at a new circuit for everyone; we were able to capitalise on an opportunity and were competitive in all track conditions. But anyway, with all the chaos in qualifying, we managed to secure a front-row start on Sunday, which was one of our objectives, and the race was looking very promising with a strong pace. When I tried to step up the pace, the tyres completely gave out and it turned into a battle for survival… I’m annoyed and a bit disappointed that we missed out on the podium on the final lap, but in the end it’s experience and information for the team, and I’m sure that if we keep this up, better results will come.” With this result, the Valencian rider sits fifth in the overall Moto2 World Championship standings, establishing himself as one of the revelations of the season.