Espargaro is currently the oldest rider on the MotoGP grid with his brother Pol Espargaro Second on this list.
The Aprilia rider, who turns 34 in July, enjoyed the best season of his career in 2022 as he battled the likes of these Fabio Quartararo and Francesco Bagnaja for the world title until he was eliminated from the competition in Sepang
Until his retirement at the end of 2021, Rossi was the oldest rider on the grid, having competed until he was 42. However, with the addition of sprint races, the season calendars seem to get longer every year and with younger talent coming through, Espargaro does not see his MotoGP future beyond the age of 35.
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“Right now I don’t see myself in MotoGP beyond 2024,” said Espargaro www.motorsport-magazin.com. “What Valentino did (Rossi rode in the premier class until he was 42) is great, but I don’t think I will have the strength to do it
“Let’s see how I feel in 2024. However, I think that with the current calendars and the introduction of sprint racing, it will be difficult to race beyond 35 years of age
“It’s mainly for mental reasons. For example, the calendars for 2023 are crazy, especially the last part of the season. We’re going to be spending a lot of time away from home and when you’re under 25 it’s anything but that.” simply.”
Espargaro is not the first rider to express concerns about the length of the 2023 MotoGP calendar, which is more demanding than ever on test riders but also set on team members.
With excellence and skill at an all-time high in MotoGP, Espargaro believes every little detail makes a difference.
The Spaniard added: “Obviously MotoGP is also very physically demanding, but as a professional you have to be in good shape
“Before, athletics wasn’t really relevant in our sport, but now we’re at an extremely high level physically and we’re all very careful about what we eat, how we train and how we recover.”
