MotoGP is about to begin the second round of the 2022 season. After the Qatar GP won two weeks ago by Enea Bastianini on the Ducati GP21 fielded by the Gresini Racing team, the paddock goes for the first time as part of a racing weekend on the new Mandalika track, in Indonesia.
A first victory which would very well have gone to Pol Espargaró, author of a fantastic start and who led for most of the race, setting a hellish pace before seeing his soft rear tire disintegrate in the final stages. But with a podium at the opening of the championship, there is no doubt that the Spanish driver will aim for victory this weekend, especially on a track where he set the time benchmark last month, during the final winter testing session. The Honda driver gave his impressions in the run-up to the Indonesian GP, and we transcribe his entire words here.
Pol, you had a superb race two weeks ago in Qatar. The podium that you won at Losail as well as your very good performance during winter testing should give you confidence as we approach this second round of the season...
« I'm really happy with how pre-season went, even if it's always difficult at this point to get a clear idea of the hierarchy. When you find yourself at the first race of the season, you are always a little on edge because there is a lot going on, and you have to get back into rhythm. I must admit that I was quite nervous then. But when you set yourself a high goal in pre-season, you can't shy away from it afterwards. You want to do the maximum and for my part in Qatar I managed to get a very good start and I was then able to set a very good pace with very good times. I must also say that the race was very fast, much faster than last year. This demonstrates the level of performance achieved by our bike and underlines all the work that Honda has put in during the pre-season. Thanks to this I managed to fight for victory until the last laps. Unfortunately I wanted to put the turbo on to catch Enea Bastianini when he overtook me [to take the lead] but I couldn't slow down afterwards. I nevertheless had a lot of fun during this event, it was a very good way to start the year.
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You were the fastest driver during testing here this winter. Is this likely to put additional pressure on you in the quest for your first MotoGP victory?
« I really enjoyed riding here last month, even if the hot weather didn't make it easy. But I was not the only driver to be fast, Enea was also, like Marc Márquez or even Fabio Quartararo. The Ducatis had been a little behind, at least as far as the official machines are concerned, but I am sure that they will have solved the problems which affected them during the round in Qatar. I expect a close race. I think everyone is going to be in this, and I hope we are too. »
The welcome here in Indonesia has been exceptional to say the least…
« Yes it's clear. We were able to feel a bit like rockstars. It's amazing to go to these types of places where you can show people what you love to do, which is riding motorcycles. It's incredible, and it's something quite difficult to explain. We drove around Jakarta with all these people surrounding us. A lot of people followed us on their own motorbikes. The President himself is a big fan of motorcycles, and he has ridden his own machine. It reminded me a little of the Spain of my childhood, when I went to the races with my father to see Alex Crivillé. We slept on the circuit itself, it was incredible. »
The pace that you managed to impose in Qatar was very high. But if we remember the tire combination [the soft rubber at the front and rear] that you chose, can we say that it was still a bit of suicide?
« It is clear that the race was very fast. We compared it with last year's pace, and it turns out that I was about twenty seconds faster this year. Quite honestly, I didn't expect the race to go this way at all. I didn't think I could escape like I did. I was more expecting a race where the drivers overtake each other two or three times per lap. But in the end I found myself all alone in the lead, attacking like hell every lap. We didn't expect this type of race, and we didn't expect this pace. We also didn't expect the rear tire to fall apart so quickly. But you know, we made this choice because it was the first race of the season. Lots of things could go wrong. For example, we could have opted for the medium tire at the front like Brad Binder did. It's possible that it would have been a little better, but I clearly didn't want to take any chances. I knew that with the soft tires I was very fast, so in a way it was a pretty safe choice. It's true that if I hadn't gone straight at the first corner while trying to respond to Enea I would probably have finished second, but it was the first race of the season... »
You were the fastest driver in testing last month. Much of the asphalt is brand new since February. So do you think all the work you've done in testing is still going to be useful or are you going to have to start from scratch here?
« We have gained a lot of knowledge on this circuit, and we will be able to apply what we have learned in areas such as gearboxes and electronics. Afterwards, it is certain that we will start from scratch regarding the tire allocation, because the carcasses and rubbers are different, not to mention that the track has indeed been resurfaced in many places. What we did during the tests was nevertheless very useful, because it at least allowed us to discover the track. Afterwards, it is clear that I don't really know what to expect, because there are many drivers who can claim victory. So I hope we can adapt to the new track conditions as well as we managed to do during winter testing. »
You have been in MotoGP for nine years now. Have you ever lost confidence during this period?
« It is clear that you have to believe in yourself when, like me, you have spent nine years in MotoGP without having managed to achieve big results. You have to have confidence in your abilities, but if I've been here this long, it means the teams have faith in me. However, I think this year is the first where I have a package that allows me to fight for victory. When I arrived in MotoGP it was really difficult to fight at the front with a satellite bike, but fortunately that has changed a lot, but at that time I had moved to KTM and my objective was then to develop the motorbike. But now I feel ready to fight for something else. I feel ready to raise my level of play. Honda was faster than ever in Qatar, and as a result I am now ready to achieve the results I would have liked to achieve when I arrived in MotoGP. »
