During the first race of the MotoGP championship in Qatar, brothers Aleix and Pol Espargaró came close to a family record. But the historic enterprise only seems to be postponed.
At the first MotoGP round of 2022, the brothers Aleix et Pol Espargaro achieved the best “family” result of their MotoGP career. The Repsol Honda rider finished in front of his brother who races with Aprilia Racing, for a 3rd and 4th place which honors the standard bearers of Granollers. This could be the best season in the premier class for both, perhaps even with the dream of achieving an all-time record.
At the Qatar GP, Pol I will espargaro was close to his first victory in MotoGP, after the eight podiums collected since his debut in 2014. A few laps from the end, he was overtaken by the Ducati of Enea Bastianini, which led him to make an error resulting in the loss of second place on the podium. The new Honda RC213V appears to reflect his riding style after gaining rear grip, although further confirmation will be needed at upcoming events. Author of a great start from fifth place on the grid, he led for 18 laps, for certainly his best performance with the brand with the winged coat of arms.
His brother Aleix I will espargaro, starting from sixth position, fought for a long time with Joan Mir and Marc Márquez, perhaps being a little too cautious when overtaking. But on the long Lusail straight, he whipped his Aprilia RS-GP22 which turned out to have grown in terms of engine and power. At the end of the race there was an attempt at a brotherly challenge, but Pol crossed the line eight tenths ahead of his older brother. “ I was hoping to see my brother overtake me, that way we would have had a good duel “, joked the Honda driver at the end of the race. “ My tires were worn out, in my opinion I wouldn't have been able to keep up with him. Luckily he was two seconds away ! »
The Espargaró brothers close to history
Aleix I will espargaro postpone the challenge with Pol to the next meetings. On the last lap he made a small mistake at turn 4. “ I knew I was faster than the Hondas at turn 15, where I passed Marc Márquez, and that I could have passed him there, but Pol was still half a second ahead of me, I I took a big risk at turn 4 and I didn't succeed. I lost too much time with Marc and Joan and that's what cost me the podium. » But he is happy with the podium achieved by his brother: “IHe deserved this podium. He had a very good first part of the race and ultimately he deserves it ».
Both I will espargaro now aim to get on the MotoGP podium together. The only time history has seen such an episode dates back to the 1997 Imola GP signed by brothers Nobuatsu and Takuma Aoki, who finished second and third. Last year Aleix won his first podium with the Noale manufacturer at Silverstone, while Pol finished 5th. But the historic feat is only postponed: “ Aleix is fast with the Aprilia and I can be fast with the Honda. I think it's going to happen soon to fight for the podium against my brother and that's great! ».
