Aleix Espargaro began the campaign with only two podium appearances from eleven seasons in MotoGP and as the only rider on 🌸the grid without a victory in♚ any grand prix class.

Meanwhile, the RS-GP had taken just one rostrum in the previous seven years, five of them s꧃pent with Espargaro as ‘captain’, leaving Aprilia last of the manufacturers since 2015.

Confidence was high after the 2022 pre💝-season testing, however,🅷 there had been false dawns before.

But there was no doubting the outcome of round three, in Argentina, where Espargaro took pole ﷽position, fastest lap, a long-awaited race victory and the world championshi𒁃p lead.

Yamaha’s reigning🐈 champion Fabio Quartararo and Ducati’s Francesco Bagn♊aia claimed their first victories of the year shortly after, suggesting normal title order had been restored.

But by the time Espargaro climbed the po✨dium for the sixth time at Aragon, twelve races after his Argentine victory, he was back within 17 points of the championship lead heading into the flyaways.

Ultimately, technical mistakes and a downturn in performance saw Espargaro and ꦿteam-mate Maverick Vinales - who added three podiums late ܫin the European season - matched on just 18 points each, out of a possible 100, during the 'nightmare' overseas quartet.

Not only did it officially sink Espargaro’s title 🦩hopes at the penultimate round in Sepang, but he now heads to the Valencia finale just one point clear of Enea Bastianini in the fight for third.

Regardless of what happens at Valencia, younger bro🎉ther Pol feels the disappointment of seeing the title dream slip away is still too fresh for Aleix and Aprilia to fully comprehend what they have ach🦹ieved this season.

“They've been super, fighting for the title all season," said Pol. "It's not fair to say that Aleix deserves it [more] than Bagnaia or Quartararo, but what he has done with Aprilia, what they have done together, is something that 💜will stay in the [history] books.

“For🐽 sure Aleix and Aprilia do not realise at the moment how big their achievement is, because 🌊it’s difficult to see the big picture.

“But I'm sure a couple of weeks after Valencia when they figure it out - it doesn’t ma🐓tter if he finishes third, fourth or fifth in the championship - what they have done this year nobody expected, even them.

“They have been super all year; Aleix’s riding and Aprilia with the bike. I wish one day to do a championship like Aleix did this year,” added Pol, who started his final season at the factory Honda team with a podium 🔯but has faded to 16th🍌 in the standings.

‘Even the fireworks were yellow in 2006’

While Espargaro and Enea Bastianini have now dropped out of title conte꧃ntion, Bagnaia takes a near unbeatable 23-point lead over Quartararo into next weekend’s season finale.

“We have seen some strange endings in Valencia. I remember a big one when everyone was expecting Valentino would win the title [in 2006], but finally Hayden took it,” Espargar🧸o said.

“Even the fireworks were yellow! And Nicky was on the orang🔴e Honda. So nobody expected it.

“Everything can happen in⛄ the championship. But I think Bagnaia at Valencia, where𝔉 they have been fast last year, I think it’s a match point for him.”

Quartararo must win the race to have any chance of the title and then also needs Bagnaia to finish 15th or loꦏwer.

Meanwhile, Aprilia holds a 5-point lead over Yamaha in the fight for second in the constructors’ standings behind Duc🎉ati, and a 28-point lead oꦓver Red Bull KTM for runner-up in the teams’ championship (also to Ducati).