Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro was battling serious pain and “rationing my strength” after suffering rib injuries in a go-kart crash after the Austrian GP.
The all-internal damage to ligaments and soft tissue was very debilitating, he said. “I have had other injuries in my career, but none that have limited me this much.
“All I can do is rest, and tomorrow we will assess the situation.”
He had qualified strongly all the same, ninth fastest, at a track where the bike’s relative lack of acceleration is less of a problem.
By Michael Scott
