Aleix Espargaro put on an impressive display aboard the Aprilia RS-GP on the first official day of the MotoGP season in Qatar.

While multiple trips to the top of the times failed to translate to the final standings, his rapid pace on the Noale machine certainly made the paddock take notice, with his eighth overall leaving him just three-tenths off Jack Miller’s near-record lap.

The Spanish rider’s feeling with the new RS-GP was clear from FP1, where his times were consistently high in the standings, despite the less-than-optimum track conditions. Taking the lead twice before settling for second, the 31-year-old was looking determined to convert his strong preseason showing into race weekend progress.

The more indicative FP2 session saw Espargaro continue where he left off, improving his times to hold the lead for the majority of the mid-session before the hot-laps flew in during the closing minutes. Traffic on track may have kept him from improving further, but his eighth place finish and positive consistency, left him confident for the weekend ahead.

“I am satisfied with this start,” Espargaro explained on Friday evening. “After the tests, which went well, I had some doubts because when the race weekend begins, the values on the pitch can change. Instead, we confirmed our level today too.

“I am especially happy with how easy it is for me to be fast with the new RS-GP. It is a fun bike to ride. I feel like I am exploiting it well and the times show that. Now I want to focus on qualifying because I think it is possible to do well in those conditions too.

“There will be a lot of aspects to assess on Sunday in the race with a completely new bike, from how it performs in the slipstream to fuel consumption. We are tackling one session at a time, but with a very positive spirit.”