MotoGP Austin J3 Pol Espargaró (Honda/10): “it was a catastrophic race”

It's a safe bet that, in the next family reunions between Aleix and Pol Espargaró, we will not talk about the trip to Texas to compete in the Grand Prix of the Americas on the Austin track. Unless it's to say something bad about it. When we listen to the younger one on the Honda we have the impression of hearing the echo of the older one on his Aprilia with this common evaluation of a catastrophe experienced from start to finish. Pol still brings back a top 10 and the points that go with it, but in 20 laps he took 20 seconds from his teammate Marc Marquez, winner of the stage...

The I will espargaro will not cherish this edition of the Grand Prix of the Americas which was the first in the world after that, since the last visit took place in 2019. For Pol, everything started quite well with an encouraging Friday. Then things got worse, and for reasons he knows only too well: “ I had a good pace Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. But then, the problems with the front started again. I crashed and lost confidence in the front wheel. My motorcycle has too much load on the front wheel at the moment ", declared the youngest of the brothers I will espargaro, analyzing the problem.

Pol Espargaró: “I was only able to brake late, everything else stopped working”

In the race, this problem continued: “ I just couldn't take the corners so I had to brake really hard. Then, after six or seven laps, I noticed the front tire was deteriorating, making it even more difficult to turn the bike. I wasn't able to brake until late, everything else stopped working. I fought but it was a disastrous race “, declared the thirty-year-old from Granollers, frustrated.

" ATOn the 6th lap, the front wheel folded once, that's why I had to straighten the bike and take the escape » remembers the Spaniard. “ As a result, I lost two seconds in one lap. This created a big gap between me and the driver in front of me. On the next lap I was overtaken by Enea Bastianini and made another mistake, which cost me another second. So I lost three seconds in two laps. Especially on this track here, it's difficult to get back into a consistent rhythm after a mistake », sighed the Spaniard, who finally finished tenth and happy to leave the scene.