Espargaro battles painful wrist in Australian GP qualifying

Another day affected by rain at Phillip Island. The official qualifying for tomorrow’s race saw the early closure of just a few minutes because of rain. Pramac Racing Team riders, Mika Kallio Aleix Espargarò, have finished with the eleventh and twelfth fastest lap time and they will start the race from the fourth row on the starting grid. The Spaniard had some physical problems in the right forearm that did not allow him to perform in the best way today. Tonight and tomorrow morning he will do some massage sessions to be able to race without any complications. The start of the Australian Grand Prix is scheduled for tomorrow at 4pm local time.

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director
“We can feel quite satisfied with how our riders finished the qualifying session today. We have both riders in the fourth row and this will be a good opportunity for us in the case of good start to remain with the fastest riders since the first turn. A big question mark for tomorrow’s race, beyond the technical choices, will be the weather conditions. Anything can happen.”

Aleix Espargarò – Pramac Racing Rider – 11th best lap time in 1’32.542
“Every time I left the pit box after about three or four laps I felt pain in my right wrist and this didn’t allow me to handle the brakes as I should. This was very risky and did not allow me to push hard. I received some medical check up and there seems nothing to worry about even if I, as a precaution, will undergo some treatments tomorrow morning. For tomorrow I would like the track to be either fully wet or dry. The middle situation on this circuit becomes very complicated to deal with.”

Source: Pramac Racing