Aleix Espargaro's three previous Italian Moto✃GPs for Aprilia have brought only an eleventh-place finish, but he has much higher hopes for the 2021 version of the RS-GP.

Among the upgrades made to the new bike is better initial power delivery, h💖elping boost acceleration, gains from which can be carried all along the straights.

That will be particularly important at Mugello, which features the highest t🙈op speeds of the season🐭.

But it's no♛t only the machinery which has been upgraded, with Espargaro undergoing arm pump surgery immediately after Le Mans to remove one area of doubt for the team's home event.

"Mugello𒁃 is a demanding track, even from a physical point of view. Precisely for this reason, I decided to have surgery on my arm after Le Mans, taking advantage of the breaꦉk for a full recovery," said Espargaro, who has equalled the RS-GP's best event result of sixth place twice already this season.

"The operation was perfect and I’ll be at the first Italian ra🧔ce in good form.

"It꧒𝄹 is an important round for the team on a circuit that has never been our favourite. But now we can count on a much more competitive 2021 RS-GP and I can’t wait to see how it will perform in Mugello."

Team-mate Lorenzo Savadori arrives at his first ไItalian Grand Prix having been impressively fast in wet conditions at Le Mans, only to suffer a technical failure in the race.

"Le Mans was definitely a good weekend, although the particular conditions prevent an💝 accurate comparison," he said. "What counts for me is to continue reducing the gap, improving my confidence on the RS-GP and increasing my experience in this category.

"It is a path that takes time. Aprilia is supporting me with allᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ of my requests and I am trying to speed up the learning curve. I can’t wait toඣ race in Mugello. It’s a track that I know well, but I've never tackled it astride a MotoGP bike."