Aleix Espargaro Enters the History Books at the Argentinian Grand Prix

Espargaro made his 200th MotoGP race start this weekend on a good note. He took Aprilia's first modern-era pole and the scene was set for a historic day. At the start, Pol was in front, followed closely by Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing), who jumped from the middle row in P2.

As one Pramac Racing Ducati set the fastest lap of the race and took the lead, the other crashed out at Turn 2. Aleix was trying hard to take P1 back, but that led to some silly mistakes from him, which allowed Martin to stretch clear.

With 11 laps to go, the other Espargaro crashed out unhurt at Turn 2, promoting the 2020 MotoGP World Champion to fourth place. Meanwhile, Aleix came back into his senses and was right on Martin's tail. The Aprilia rider made a brave move but outbraked himself with eight laps to go. However, a few minutes later, Espargaro was through and bought himself some breathing space with two laps to go.

Martin had no answer in the end for Espargaro. Still, second place is crucial to finally kickstart his World Championship after two DNFs in Qatar and Indonesia, as Rins completed the podium for his first visit to Argentina.

Aleix entered the history books by participating in most MotoGP races before a win. In addition, he ended a record wait for a victory in any class spanning 283 races back to 2004. He is now leading the drivers' championship for the first time in his career, followed by Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP).

Below is the list of the top ten at the Argentinian Grand Prix:

• 1. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing)
• 2. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) + 0.807
• 3. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 1.330
• 4. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 1.831
• 5. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 5.840
• 6. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 6.192
• 7. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) + 6.540
• 8. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 10.215
• 9. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 12.622
• 10. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 12.987