Pol Espargaró has been with three major teams during his full-time career. From his debut in 2014, he distinguished himself on the Yamaha M1 of the Tech3 satellite team for three seasons. His talent and tenacity then propelled him to KTM for four seasons before joining Honda as Marc Marquez's teammate. Now a test rider, he actively participates in the development of the RC16 with which he celebrated his reunion.
Pol Espargaro acknowledges that his adventure took a new turn in the winter of 2020/21 when he decided to join the factory team Honda, alongside the six-time world champion Marc Marquez. " After four years at KTM, I felt like I had done my part. I had taken this bike from zero to the top" he confides in the official MotoGP podcast.
However, his time at Honda did not go as planned. Difficult seasons placed him 12th and then 16th in the world championship in 2021 and 2022. Despite these disappointing results, I will espargaro draws valuable lessons from this unique experience.
Pol Espargaro: “ A good rider can adapt to a bike's problems and use those problems to his advantage«
« I wanted to know what Marc was doing to be so fast." he admits, recalling his years alongside Marquez. This challenge had become a personal quest, where each race was an opportunity to learn.
His biggest revelation? The importance of adaptation: “ A good rider can adapt to a bike's problems and use those problems to his advantage. » A lesson he illustrates by comparing himself to Johann zarco during his stay at KTM, where their opposing perceptions of the same motorcycle highlighted this complex technical reality: “ when Johann zarco joined our team, he said something like: 'I don't understand what this guy is doing.' And he was referring to me. He pointed out a certain area of the bike and said that area was not good. But for me, that area was actually one of the strong points of the bike. ».
Today, althoughI will espargaro is no longer a full-time pilot, his legacy in MotoGP remains marked by his courage, his resilience and his thirst for learning.
