Aleix Espargaro and the Aprilia MotoGP team will continue together until at least the end of 2022, the Italian manufacturer announced on Tuesday.
Espargaro has reportedly hinted that he may bring his MotoGP career to an end within the next few years, but this new deal will keep him in the premier class for another couple of campaigns at least.
The Spaniard had grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of development of RS-GP since he joined the team from Suzuki for ’17, but said he was “convinced” by the direction of the Gresini-run team with its all-new machine introduced for this year to sign his latest deal.
“I am happy about this confirmation,” said Espargaro.
“The human aspect is extremely important for me, and in four seasons, Aprilia has become my second family, so with this contract, which is certainly the most important of my career, they demonstrated that I am at the centre of this project.
“On a technical level, the growth in recent months convinced me, with the arrival of many reinforcements and the début of the 2020 RS-GP, which did so well in the tests.
“I feel like we need to finish the job we started over the winter. I can’t wait to get back together with my entire team and race with the new bike, to take this project where it deserves to be.”
Espargaro has yet to score a podium finish across three years with Aprilia, with a succession of sixth place results his best on the Italian bike.
His best points haul of 63 came last year, netting him his best Riders’ Championship finishing position with the Noale-based marque to date with 14th.
