Aleix Espargaró suffered a heavy crash at the start of the first free practice for the MotoGP Thai GP. In pain, the Spaniard was sidelined for the rest of the session and barely participated in the main practice, ending up in last place.
The incident occurred at Turn 12 of the Buriram circuit, and the Aprilia rider was immediately taken to the circuit’s medical center, where initial exams revealed no significant injuries.
Hours later, Espargaró took part in the main practice but completed only 12 laps before retiring to be transported to a hospital in Buriram. Once again, the exams confirmed no injuries from the FP1 crash.
Aprilia’s team manager, Paolo Bonora, issued a statement expressing confidence in #41’s readiness for Saturday despite the setback: ‘An uphill start for Aleix. The crash in FP1 kept him from doing a lot of laps, but we’re confident that he’ll be able to recover well for the Sprint race’.