Pol Espargarò disappointed with the results of the last two years in MotoGP and the way he worked in the Repsol Honda garage.
In Valencia there will be many drivers who will say goodbye to their teams to change manufacturers. Among these also Pol Espargarò, after a difficult two years riding the Honda RC-V with which he collected just two podiums. It was supposed to be the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to aim for his first MotoGP world title, but the two-year period proved to be a real disappointment.
He soon realized that the prototype of the Golden Wing was a winning material only in the hands of Marc Marquez. The absence of the Cervera champion in the 2020 season made everything more difficult, also in terms of evolution. But when in early summer 2021 he announced his return to KTM with the GASGAS Tech3 satellite team, the situation became even more difficult for the Granollers rider. In fact, the Honda leaders have avoided giving him updates, leaving him only a margin on the search for a better setting.
Pol Espargarò towards the farewell to Honda
After the race in Malaysia, the Repsol Honda team rider cannot hide a certain bitterness, as he was gradually sidelined by the plans of the eastern manufacturer. “After the race in Qatar I didn’t receive anything to improve my feeling… With the set-up you can improve a bit, but when everyone is so fast you need new components to improve the feeling. Instead I got nothing“.
Some novelties have been entrusted to Takaaki Nakagami, which in the next championship will still wear HRC colors. When Marc Marquez returned from his arm surgery during the Misano test, it was immediately evident that the Honda engineers focused only on the Cervera champion. “Marc uses a different swingarm, frame and aerodynamic package than mine“.
A modus laborandi that, according to Pol Espargarò, will also affect 2023, when they arrive Alex Rins and Joan Mir, respectively alongside Nakagami (in LCR) and Marc Marquez (in Repsol Honda). “I think they should try something new with both drivers. This way you get different feedback“. In the next season he does not foresee big changes in terms of team philosophy. “Only Marc will be fast, the others won’t“.
