Last year, Aprilia's bubble was somewhat burst when the radically redesigned RS-GP, after being impressive in early testing, was just 16th fastest on day one of the season-opening Spanish MotoG🌳P.

It proved a sign of difficulties to come, with lead rider Aleix Espargaro൲ finishing he season with a best race result of eighth, two places worse thanꦿ the previous year's bike.

As such, 𒆙Aprilia's feet have been kept firmly on the g🅘round after another fast start to 2021 testing.

But this time the excellent form continued into the opening race weekend, with Espargaro a competitive eighth fastest, just 0🧸.340s from the top, on day one of the Qatar Grand Prix.

While the final position might not sound impressive🦩, the Spaniard𝓡 was fastest for most of the second half of the session, said the speed had come even easier than at the test and that he would have gone quicker had he not caught traffic on his last lap.

"I'm very happy because this morning with a very hot conditions I managed to be very very fast and finished P2. And this afternoon I think I was the only one on the grid to manage to do four laps in 1m 53, which is quite impreꩵꦯssive here in Qatar," Espargaro said.

"Unﷺfortunately, a little bit angry because I found traffic with Nakagami and Martin with my last tyre because I was su♉re I was able to fight for the first place. It's just Friday, but you know riders and when you feel as good as I feel now, I want to use that occasion to fight for the top.

"Immediately I felt very comfortable today and I think this year – I don’𝄹t know how fast I will be, but I'm sure about one thing, I'm enjoyi♎ng a lot with this bike. This is the most important. At 31 years old, to stay suffering a lot is very difficult for my psychology."

Aprilia is yet to break into the MotoG📖P top five during the four-stroke era, but Esparga꧙ro is increasingly confident he can be a podium contender on Sunday.

"I'm ready. I don’t know if it's good to say this but I think I'm riding super good the bike and today when everybody was in '54 still at the beginning of the session I d♍id '53.7ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ which is very fast.

"So yes, I feel I'm ready to fight for theꩲ top but when you go in the race with a full fuel tank, consumption of the rear tyre, with a new bike there are many things to discover. We have to go step-by-step. But I think we are in a very good level.

"I'm curious to see how the bike is in the race, because the wings are completely different this year so I don’t know ⛄how it will affect whe🐠n I'm behind another bike. I was completely alone today.

"We are noཧt ready to win, that's clear, but the bike is much b🐟etter."

While the final proof won't come until Sunday's race, Espargaro's consistently fast♑ form on the RS-GP is only increasing the speculation surroundi✅ng Andrea Dovizioso's upcoming Aprilia test.

Rumours, so far officially denied, continue that further tests and perhaps even wild-✱cards are already under disꦑcussion with the out-of-work triple title runner-up.

"I talked to him [Dovi] and yesterday I texted him and made a joke that after all his career fighting with the Honda to follow the Aprilia two-stroke in the straight, noไw he has an Aprilia so he can be h🗹appy!'

"But about the future let's go step-by-step. For Aprilia it's unbelievable to sign a rider like Dovi to꧃ test t🍌he bike. So let's give him some space.

"I'm very curious to see his reaction because he's been riding the Ducati for a long time and 𓆉I think the Ducati and Aprilia are very different in many aspects, engine, chassis electronics. So let's give him some time to try the bike, enjoy riding after a lot of months and then the time to decide."

Espargaro♊ added that "obviously" any team in the paddock would want Dovizioso as a race rider, but,: "Let's wait and see if he likes the bike – and I don’t know, it looks like he's enjoying riding motocross, so maybe he just wants to be a test rider.

"Look at Crutchlow, I had a long chat with him after the test and he said he's l🅰oving his new life, he can stay with his family and enjoying being with Y🦹amaha as a test rider. So let's go step-by-step."

Espargaro current team-mate, rookie Lorenzo Savadori, was 🌄22nd and last on the timesheets, 2.287s from Ducati's Jack M🌱iller.