Pol Espargaró has spent the first of his two seasons under contract with the Repsol Honda team, which means he now knows the fundamentals of his employers. Coming out of a KTM period started in 2017, the Spaniard brought a certain experience which, however, was not requested by the Japanese. He was surprised, but he explains the reasons: Honda is following its path and this only.
Pol Espargaro can boast of having brought home at least one pole position and one podium from his first experience with the official Honda RC213V. Certainly, but he also collected scraps, the last of which earned him the package for one last performance of the season which was a dark day for the Repsol colors. Indeed, and since Marc Marquez was already forfeited, we regretted that none Honda factory set off for a Grand Prix…
This shows that times are currently difficult for the HRC trigram. With a leader Marc Marquez which collects injuries and lengthens its days of incapacity, the first world brand is losing its bearings, a trend thatAlex Marquez has already noted. But she does not lose her confidence, even if it means misplaced pride. Because Pol Espargaro discovered it: Honda makes Honda, and will never, for example, look for inspiration elsewhere, even if it is from the stable of the moment: Ducati.
A policy that Aleix's younger brother noticed when he noted that he was never asked what he thought of the Austrian RC16... " The truth is that they never did, and that's something that sometimes surprised me » he admits on motorsport. com. He adds : " Honda has a very clear line of work and they don't pay much attention to what others are doing, they don't really care ».
Pol Espargaro: “ Honda really believes in its potential«
« Honda really believes in its potential and I find that normal. They have enormous strength and incredible technology, which others do not have. The only thing they want from Honda is to make a motorcycle in their own way that works, without copying others » specifies the Spaniard. Certainly, but current results show that this inexhaustible industrial, technological and financial resource remains in vain in the face of Ducati, with less theoretical firepower. If the Japanese actually make a motorcycle in their own way, or that of Marc Marquez, without copying the others, the box “ which works » which is still not checked.
« Obviously there are details ", ended Pol Espargaro on the subject. “ I'm the first to explain the things that have worked well for me in the past, whether at KTM or when I was racing on Yamaha, and that can bring something to the team ". However… " But all the experience I bring with me is not something they care too much about. They rely more on my riding and what I need to be fast, and they draw their own conclusions. Their work is based more on this information than on what I can tell them about other manufacturers ».
The 2022 season will tell if this approach is unique to Honda or specific to the Japanese with the versions that Suzuki et Yamaha will put on the track during the return to Sepang. What emerges from the Malaysian tests will depend, in particular, on the future of Fabio Quartararo and Joan mir...
