After making an impressive breakthrough in recent rounds, MotoGP rider Pol Espargaro is up✨beat about his chances at Portimao despite not having great memories at the Portuguese circuit with Honda.

Espargaro took his first podium of the year at Misano two weeks ago - also happened to be his first for Honda, howev꧋er, April’s third round of the year at the Algarve International Circuit was far from what the Spaniard wanted.

A big crash at the final corn🅘er led to the first of two DNF’s th🦄is year for Espargaro. 

But with Espargaro finishing the last five races in🌜 the points - his best run with the Japanese manufacturer to date, the 30 year-old believes ‘we have a lot more opportunitiesౠ to do a great weekend’. 

"Portimao is a place where I normally enjoy quite a lot and in𝓰 the past 🌠year with the KTM I enjoyed it a lot," said Espargaro. 

"Sure, it was not amazingly goꦍod, but it was a decent race and I almost finished on the podium (2020). 

"But in the begiꦯnning of the year we came here with many, many problems, I struggled with a big crash in the last corner and I don’t have the best of memories with the Honda here. 

"Anyway, I came here in the summer break to train so I have the circuit layout a little bit fresher in my mind than the o🐽thers which is nice. 

"Also the bike has changedᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ a lot since that moment and the beginning of the year. 

"Honestly speaking, we have a lot more opportunities to have a great weekend compared to what we🃏 did at the start of t♔his season."

As hinted at by Espargaro, the recent improvements have come 🌌from changes that are specific to trying various parts for next year’s RC213V machine.

So while ‘this season is over’ for Espargaro, the former KTM rider has used it as one to learn from before making a comp⛦lete reset. 

Espargaro added: "From the past 🔥races I have been working in that direction (2022) - thinking about that. Of course, this season is over for me and has been for many races. 

"So, I started to think about the future with Honda and we have tried to do the best we could with൲ the current package ahead of next﷽ year. 

"We’ve tried to generate or copꦏy what we have inside theღ rules about next year’s bike and we had some pros and cons. 

"For example𓆏, we had quite a lot of probl♕ems in Texas, but then in Misano we had all the cons as pros. 

"Thinking about next year, I'm really looking forward to just making a reset with all the experience and knowledge th✅at I now have with the Honda."