Pedro Acosta believes that Pol Espargaró has the speed to become a full-time driver again, as he has shown during his replacements this season.
If there's one driver who has impressed this year, it's Pol EspargaroAlthough all eyes were on the championship leaders, the Spaniard's performance did not go unnoticed when he came to replace Maverick Viñales for several Grands Prix at the end of the season.
Forced out at the end of 2023, I will espargaro He has since become a KTM test rider and has already made several notable wildcard appearances in 2024, particularly in Austria, on the manufacturer's home turf. But this year, he has stepped up a notch.
In his five appearances, he has made it to Q2 four times, and has secured an eighth place as the best result in the race and finished in the top 10 of each of the ten races contested, except in Malaysia. Hit by Luca Marini in the sprint race, he miraculously stayed upright but lost positions and finished 11th, before crashing the following day.
Of all the test riders on the grid, he is by far the fastest in races, so much so that some opportunities opened up for him in Superbike before closing again. But for Peter AcostaAs KTM's lead rider, he deserves more than his current role and he has made that clear.
"There are people who should consider making Pol a full-time championship driver. I would recommend him to everyone.", he told crash.net. “This year he has participated in several races, he has [almost] always been in Q2 and, [if he hadn't] been hit in Malaysia, he would have always finished in the top 10 [in the race]. Pol arrives here without pressure, he is enjoying himself immensely.”
“In Australia, riding behind him helped me a lot. He’s very open to collaboration and willing to help the factory. It’s always an asset to have a rider like him. He rides the bike the same way I do, aggressively with the front tire, and it’s an advantage for me to have options thanks to the experience and data of a fast rider.”
