Aleix Espargaro announces MotoGP retirement

MotoGP star Aleix Espargaro will retire at the end of the 2024 season, bringing an end to a career that has spanned more than 300 Grand Prix races.

The Spaniard currently rides for the Aprilia factory outfit and sits eighth in the MotoGP championship. He will turn 35 in July.

Espargaro made his Grand Prix debut in 2004 with an appearance in the 125cc World Championship. In 2005 he completed his first full GP season before making his MotoGP class debut in 2009 as a replacement rider.

He signed with Pramac to race the full 2010 season but could only manage two top-eight finishes.

Moving back to the Moto2 class in 2011, Espargaro took his first GP podium on home turf at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. That success capapulted him back to MotoGP in 2012 with Aspar.

Another move to Forward Yamaha in 2014 saw him take his first MotoGP class podium with a second place at Aragon.

Next up was Team Suzuki Ecstar, where he stayed for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, and gave the team its first podium since 2007.

But the defining moment of Espargaro’s career came when he signed with Aprilia for the 2017 season. He achieved a podium in 2021 at the British Grand Prix and then took his first premier class win in 2022 in Argentina. He also notched another five podiums that year, including four in a row.

The 2023 season didn’t bring as many podiums, but Espargaro still managed two victories – one each at Silverstone and Barcelona – as well as a podium in Assen.

If the Spanish rider competes in three more races in 2024 – which he is expected to do – he will overtake Loris Capirossi to sit third in the list of most starts in Grand Prix history.