RiderTua.com – Aleix Espargaro revealed that he was told by Aprilia that they had never made an offer to Fabio Quartararo. Espargaro said that Fabio was indeed one of the best riders, but not the best young rider in terms of talent. “It’s normal for Aprilia to talk to him, but they said they never gave him a contract offer,” said the 34-year-old rider.
Aleix also explained that we will never know if it is true, only Fabio and Aprilia will know. But he really understands because Fabio is a young rider. The Aprilia riders’ contracts will expire this year, as will El Diablo. According to him (Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola)’s job is to talk to everyone.
Aprilia Never Made an Offer to Fabio Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo’s decision to sign a new contract to stay at Yamaha for another 2 years is part of the hot 2025 rider market. His new deal with the tuning fork manufacturer makes him the highest earning MotoGP rider with 12 million Euros per year, beating two-time world champion Pecco Bagnaia who only receives a salary of 7 million Euros per year from Ducati. Rumor has it that Aprilia only offered him a contract worth 4 million Euros per year, but the rider from Nice, France rejected it.
Ahead of this weekend’s America’s GP, Quartararo said, “I have spoken to all the brands. Aprilia is one of the brands that I like, because it is different. Not many riders ride the same bike.”
Aprilia is in an awkward position considering they have to look after Aleix Espargaro and his teammate Maverick Vinales, plus the Trackhouse team duo, namely Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez. All four of their contracts will expire at the end of this season.
Currently Aleix Espargaro is the oldest rider on the MotoGP grid, one could say he is approaching retirement age. However, both Espargaro and Vinales shone in the first two series of the 2024 season, and Vinales even succeeded in winning the sprint race at Portimao. Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin will be alternative options if Aprilia decides to enter the rider market.
