MotoGP Austria: Pol Espargaro: “I apologise to Marc Marquez, I calculated badly” | “I have a 2024 contract!”
Pol Espargaro explained that his lengthy injury absence contributed to him miscalculating the speed and distance of an approaching Marc Marquez, at the end of Friday practice for the Austrian MotoGP.
Instead of Marquez passing him before the corner, as🍰 Espargaro expected, the Repsol Honda caught the GASGAS rider as he turned in.
Marquez was forced to run wide, endin💖g his hopes of direct access to Qualifying 2, with Espargaro later given a three-place gr🅰id penalty by the FIM Stewards.
“I talked with [Marquez] just now and he uꦇnderstands me, because he has been in that position,” Espargaro said. “You cannot understand how fast these bikes are coming - when you’ve been away [from MotoGP] for so long, you do not coordinate the distance plus the speed.
“So I checked behind, I saw him coming. That's why I'm not on the line. But then I expected that he would overtake me faster. [But] he was not ov𝓀ertaking ꦏme as I was expecting, then I made the corner.
“So it was my mistake. I calculated all the things badly. So it✨'s just a matter of missing a lot of time on a MotoGP bike and calculating the distance plus the speed.
“But yeah, I apologise. I🅠 did a mistake for sure.”
That incide🐼nt aside, it was a positive start to Espargaro’s second weekend back, finishing 15th fastest, a fraction behind KTM’s Jack Miller and five places clear of rookie team-mate Augusto Fernandez.
“Honestly, the bike works really, really good. I'm happy and pleaꦇsed,” Espargaro said.
“I was not as fast as Brad because Brad has been really quick. But I've been a bit faster than Augusto and similar to Jack, so I'm pretty OK. Still, I fee🍌l I have a lot o🐠f margin, which is good. So let's do another step tomorrow.”
The𒊎 Spaniard, who suffered ten fractures at the Portimao seaꦆson opener, confirmed his focus is on matching the other RC16 riders.
“Yeah, 100%. At the moment they are my targets. Brad is in another leve♓l from all the Pierer Mobility Group, but I believe I can be with Jack at the moment - maybe not now, but just in the short future. And this is m🍎y target to try to be with him.
“Today we did it. This morning I was a bit faster than him. And this afternoon we matched lap time. So just I need to keep improving myself and maybe in a few races, maybe I can look for Brad. 𒐪But at the moment it's too far away, he’s too fast!”
Asked where fourth-fastest ♔Brad Binder is making the difference, Espargaro replie𝓡d:
“He brakes l🅷ike an animal! He brakes so late and he's able to control the bike in a very,💝 very precise way in the inside of the corner, the way he's moving the bike and changing direction.
“I'm still weak on changing direction, especially on the right to left because all my left side of the body is way too weak and ev🔯ery time there is a left corner I lose quite a lot of performance from my elbow and all these parts.
“So still I have quite a lot of margin, but it's nice to always keep motivated looking at the faste🌸st and dreaming a lot about the guys you want to beat.”
Pol
Espargaro: “I have a contract with GASGAS for 2024”
With KTM yet to clarify𓆉 how they will fit an additional rider, Pedro Acosta, into their MotoGP line-up next💯 season, Espargaro could only join team-mate Augusto Fernandez in confirming he has a contract in place.
“I read and I hear a lot, even when I was away injured, that my bike was at risk and all thওis. But it has never been at risk. I mean, I have a contract for this year and next year,” Espargaro said.
“If at the end of next year I'm not ไperforming well, I'm going to be the first one to leave, but I'm gonna be here performing that two years and I believe I'm fast enough to prove it.
“But the contract I have is 2023 and 2024, with the🦄 GASGAS Factory R🅺acing team.
“I feel I'm faster than some of the guys inside the factory, so I'm going to prove it and then it's the way that you all stop talkꦬing about that!”
KTM says that its preferred option is to try and acquire an addi🍌tional grid slot to run Acosta next se🗹ason, with his current Ajo team.
Dorna would prefer that the ex-Suzuki places only went to a new manufacturer, but KTM seems to be using the chance to veto a change to the tecꦿhnical concessions (for struggling factories such as Honda and Yamaha) as a potential bargaining tool.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s in🌞jury issues.
