Will it be third time lucky as Espargaro aims to win his first-ever MotoGP race?

Espargaro backed up an FP2 session that saw him finish nearly three tenths clear of team-mate Maverick Vinales, by getting the better of pole-hound Jorge Martin in Q2.

With Aprilia yet to score a pole position since returning to premier class racing in 2015, all eyes were on Espargaro, who by all accounts had an open goal to aim for. 

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The RS-GP has so far looked better than any other bike around the 2.9 mile circuit, and by quite some margin it must be said.  

Ripples in the track were affecting most of the grid at turn 11, however, both Aprilia’s seemed extremely compliant with the difficult track conditions. 

In fact, Espargaro and his 2022 machine made up most of the lap time in sector three, as S4 was where Fabio Quartararo and Martin seemed to be quicker. 

What does this mean for today’s race? Well, Espargaro is the firm favourite to convert his third-ever MotoGP pole into victory, which would be an enormous achievement should he do so as this weekend is the Spaniard’s 200th Grand Prix start. 

While Espargaro is also our pick to win after seeing race pace that very few could live with. The veteran has been here before after showing extremely good pace in both Qatar and Indonesia, two rounds that ended without a podium. 

Asked if this level of performance reflects where Aprilia is at present, Espargaro added: “Yes, but in Qatar I felt; I don’t know if I was the strongest one, but I felt really good. But, I was not fast enough in the middle of the race and I missed the podium. 

“In Indonesia I was also not really fast and the potential of the bike in the wet was better. On dry I felt I could fight for the podium in Indonesia, and here, once again yes. 

“More than just this performance in Argentina, I’m happy because if we work well and we make no mistakes during the season, then I have the feeling inside that; I don’t want to say top three in the championship or whatever, but I have the feeling we can achieve many, many points. 

“If we are able to make no mistakes by the end of the season in Valencia then we can be in the top five in the championship. 

“This is due to the improvements in the bike that allow me to be fast and consistent in every track. That’s great for the rider. 

Who else could fight for the podium, perhaps the victory? 

Look for Martin and Vinales to be two riders battling for the podium. The former was again sensational in qualifying as he became the only rider to get within four tenths of Espargaro. 

Ducati had been on the backfoot heading into qualifying, especially in the factory team’s garage, but Martin was able to find performance when it mattered most. 

For Vinales, Q2 at the Argentina MotoGP marked his first top five qualifying finish with Aprilia, which should leave him in a good position considering his race performance was also very strong. 

Other candidates for a first-ever podium in Argentina include reigning world champion Quartararo who will start sixth and Brad Binder despite the KTM rider only managing P11. 

Another two names we’ve picked out are both Suzuki’s of Alex Rins and Joan Mir, who will head off from P7 and P8. 

For Quartararo, it was a frustrating Q2 after the Frenchman was blocked by Jack Miller when the Australian was seen touring on the racing line during the final few minutes. 

With no love lost following their spat in Mandalika, the two just can’t seem to avoid each other on-track. Miller has since been given a three-place grid penalty for his part in the incident.