More than a month after his terrible accident in the Warm Up in Brno, Espargaro Pol was back in MotoGP on Friday at Misano. The first day on the KTM RC16 was extremely difficult for the teammate Bradley Smith. After two practice sessions, he is only 24th on the list of 26 drivers entered this weekend. With a performance well beyond two seconds compared to the leader Dovizioso.
«I felt like the first round after the winter break », admitted Aleix's younger brother who barely did better on his Aprilia, but for very different reasons. “ I have the impression that my whole body is in a state of sleep, that the muscles need to wake up. But I can barely exercise, just some light workouts. »
The Spaniard expected a difficult return, but the reality was more difficult than expected: “ When you are back with these drivers you will realize how fast they are. I keep getting overwhelmed ».
But despite all these difficulties, Pol Espargaro is happy to be among his own people, and he wouldn't trade his place for anything in the world. And to fully understand this desire, he recalls what he experienced: “ after the accident I was unconscious and when I came to on the gravel I didn't feel my arms or legs ". Then, little by little, the sensation returned to the limbs, combined with infernal pain: “ I felt like every bone was broken, with every touch it was hell, it was extremely painful. It was a very strange feeling, something I had never experienced before »
Currently, the KTM official only feels pain in the collarbone area. “ Especially braking when moving my body to the left, but also changes of direction and quick exits from corners. Today everything on the bike is really stressful ", recognised Asparagus. With the help of painkillers, however, he believes these problems will be sufficiently resolved for the rest of the weekend.
The Spaniard, however, is more concerned about the lack of power in his body after the long mandatory break. “ Pain is a problem, but one that can be combated with painkillers. But if you lack the power, you can't do anything. I am extremely tired. However, it is important for me to drive here, I need it ».
San Marino Grand Prix, Misano, MotoGP J.1: Chronos FP2
| 1 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'32.198 | ||
| 2 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 1'32.358 | 0.160 | 0.160 |
| 3 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'32.385 | 0.187 | 0.027 |
| 4 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'32.411 | 0.213 | 0.026 |
| 5 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 1'32.537 | 0.339 | 0.126 |
| 6 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 1'32.722 | 0.524 | 0.185 |
| 7 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 1'32.775 | 0.577 | 0.053 |
| 8 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 1'32.786 | 0.588 | 0.011 |
| 9 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Honda | 1'32.980 | 0.782 | 0.194 |
| 10 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | 1'32.985 | 0.787 | 0.005 |
| 11 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | 1'32.999 | 0.801 | 0.014 |
| 12 | 51 | Michael PIRRO | Ducati | 1'33.005 | 0.807 | 0.006 |
| 13 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | 1'33.183 | 0.985 | 0.178 |
| 14 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | 1'33.193 | 0.995 | 0.010 |
| 15 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 1'33.274 | 1.076 | 0.081 |
| 16 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 1'33.423 | 1.225 | 0.149 |
| 17 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Aprilia | 1'33.517 | 1.319 | 0.094 |
| 18 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1'33.654 | 1.456 | 0.137 |
| 19 | 6 | Stefan BRADL | Honda | 1'33.660 | 1.462 | 0.006 |
| 20 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | 1'33.815 | 1.617 | 0.155 |
| 21 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 1'33.878 | 1.680 | 0.063 |
| 22 | 10 | Xavier SIMEON | Ducati | 1'33.896 | 1.698 | 0.018 |
| 23 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | Honda | 1'34.278 | 2.080 | 0.382 |
| 24 | 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | 1'34.461 | 2.263 | 0.183 |
| 25 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | Yamaha | 1'34.539 | 2.341 | 0.078 |
| 26 | 23 | Christophe PONSSON | Ducati | 1'38.154 | 5.956 | 3.615 |
