The 34-year-old Spaniard made the announcement on Thursday afternoon forward of his residence Catalan Grand Prix at Barcelona, the place he received each the Saturday and Sunday races final yr.
Espargaro’s present Aprilia contract expires on the finish of this yr and he had already admitted on the signing of this deal two years in the past that he anticipated it to be his final.
Regardless of telling media on the Americas GP that he was nonetheless to determine on what he needed to do for 2025, he has elected to name time on his racing profession.
“I’m pleased to announce my retirement as a full-time rider. It has been an exquisite 20 years on this paddock and I’m very pleased and happy with what we now have achieved along with Aprilia,” mentioned Espargaro.
“We made historical past and that may by no means be forgotten. I’ve had a lot enjoyable and we now have created an unimaginable human group. We have now a really good weekend forward of us, at a observe I like and the place I’m quick, and there are nonetheless loads of races left till Valencia to be aggressive.”
Espargaro made his MotoGP debut in 2009 as a alternative rider at Pramac Ducati on the Indianapolis GP, scoring factors in his maiden race in thirteenth.
He would make 4 appearances in whole that yr, all of them yielding factors, earlier than signing full-time with Pramac for 2010.
Reaching a better of eighth in an injury-hit season, Espargaro returned to the intermediate class in 2011 the place he completed twelfth within the Moto2 standings having scored a primary grand prix podium at Barcelona.
Aleix Espargaro, Aspar Group ART
Photograph by: Aspar Group
He returned to MotoGP in 2012 with the Aspar squad aboard an Aprilia-powered CRT machine, scoring in all however two rounds to finish the marketing campaign as prime CRT rider.
He did the identical in 2013 earlier than shifting to the Ahead Racing squad on an Open class Yamaha machine – on which he scored a lucky first pole at Assen after which beat Ducati’s Cal Crutchlow in a race to the road at Aragon to complete second.
Espargaro signed a manufacturing facility deal for 2015 to hitch the fledgling Suzuki undertaking alongside his present Aprilia team-mate Maverick Vinales.
Instrumental within the growth of the GSX-RR that may finally win the championship with Joan Mir in 2020, Espargaro was a constant prime eight challenger on the bike however by no means scaled the identical race-winning heights as Vinales.
A transfer to Aprilia’s manufacturing facility undertaking in 2017 adopted, with Espargaro extracting essentially the most out of a motorcycle few ever considered being MotoGP-worthy throughout his first three seasons.
After a very tough 2019, Espargaro thought-about retirement, however elected to proceed with Aprilia into 2020.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Group Gresini
Photograph by: Dorna
In 2021 he made historical past on the British GP when he scored Aprilia’s first MotoGP podium with a 3rd at Silverstone, following that up in 2022 together with his and the workforce’s first win in Argentina.
Espargaro fought for the championship in 2022 till the latter levels, and although a title problem didn’t materialise in an inconsistent season for Aprilia in 2023 he nonetheless received two grands prix.
Throughout his time in grand prix racing, Espargaro has additionally usually been an outspoken voice on security within the championship and pushing for essential modifications.
