Aleix Espargaro finished today’s opening day 🌄of MotoGP free practice i🎃n Catalunya ninth overall, but did top FP1 ahead of his home GP. 

The Aprilia rider finished FP2 with an identical lap 🙈time as his brother Pol Espargaro, which was just shy of eight tenth💟s away from pacesetter Johann Zarco. 

Something that quickly becamꦓe app🐽arent was the lack of grip riders had out on track throughout the day. 

Espargaro went further than calling it a ’lack of grip’, as he said the track was ‘like🃏 riding on ice’. 

"It’s difficult to unde💙rstand why. The grip is very low and looks like you are riding on ice," added Espar💟garo. 

"It’s difficult also to analyse soft, medium, hard (tyres). Everyb🌼ody is doing the same lap time. For example with 🐼the soft I made a mistake but it was a little bit better than I expected so I didn’t push so much the first lap. 

"I did more or less the same lap time on the three laps, so you have to be more a🍒ggressive from the beginning because then the tyre drops. But also the fro🍰nt... I don’t understand the front tyre location. 

"Between the soft and medium there is no difference and then the difference between medium and hard.... I don’t know. We have to analyse and you can spot on track the difference between FP1 and FP2 - many black lines on track which means we are putting rubber on track.&nbs♔p;

"Overall, it wasn’t a bad day. Today we were forced to ride more mileage engines💜 because we have to save some cases on the good ones. 

"Tomorrow I will have the new engine that I use on qualifying🃏 in Mugello, so I’m sure that tomorrow we can fight for top six in FP3 and the qualifying." 

Espargaro was also seen shaking out his right arm towards the end of FP2 - the same one he had arm pump surgery 🌼on. 

Espargaro said the arm😼 is feeling ‘not bad’, but that he has a lot of built up liquid in 💧it. 

The 31 year-old said: "Regarding the arm, I’m happy about the feeling that is not bad. A little bit better than in Jerez, but unfortunately I’m maki🔯ng a lot of liquid in the arm. It's pushing a lot. 

"To ride it’s difficult because I felt worse and the liquid is huge so i🗹t’s even worse. But it’s dangerous to remove liquid every time. I did it four times in Mugello and the doctors are not happy to do it again. 

"So now I’m riding with a lot of li🦋quid in the arm, and looks like tomorrow I will be forced to ride like this. Before the race I will be able to remove the liquid."