It's now official, Pol Espargaró is heading to Argentina this weekend as the sole leader of the Repsol Honda troops, since Marc Marquez was forced to withdraw. The eight-time World Champion is once again struck down by diplopia, his third in just over ten years, but his second in a few months. The team member talks about the impact this package will have on HRC but he also points out that it is not exactly true that the RC213V was made for him. On the other hand, he knew how to tame it with his talent. He also says that the Honda was unable to adapt to the Michelin tires last year. One last remark which puts his boss in the box Alberto Puig in a bad position…
Pol Espargaro suffers and fights since he was at home Honda, but he assures that this decision to take up the challenge of the RC213V in the lair of Marc Marquez remains the best he has taken in his entire career. He will have to convince his employers that he will still be useful to them after 2022. A challenge, but the news Honda, very different from the previous one, can help him there.
A revolution, a turnaround that he explains as follows: “ I really think this bike is more in line with other manufacturers now. In the past the bike worked very differently in terms of rear grip, rear traction, corner entry setup. You could say it didn't feel like it was made for these tires ". This is a sensitive subject which opposes his team manager from Indonesia Alberto Puig to Piero Taramasso, the Michelin representative. A minefield that the Spaniard nevertheless explores with courage since he says… “ Other manufacturers – whatever the reason – were able to adapt very quickly to these tires. But the old Honda went a little in the other direction ».
Pol Espargaro even insists on speedweek : " I think we're back in the game this year. I feel like the bike understands the tires a lot better and as the year went on we understood the issues we were having a lot better. The new motorcycle is based on solutions that we thought about last year. What we wanted to achieve, we achieved ».
Pol Espargaro: “ the bike was like that and Marc Marquez was the guy most capable of adapting to it«
So much for the adaptation to the tires. And for adaptation to Marc Marquez ? Pol Espargaró poses the problem differently, even reversing the roles: “ They say the Honda was built for Marc, but I believe Marc was built for motorcycles. The bike was like that and he was the guy best able to adapt to it. He showed he could be faster on the bike than anyone else. His skills helped him ».
« This year's bike is certainly very different. I don't know if this suits Marc, but if you were fast on the old bike, you should be super fast on the new one. Because it gives you extra grip, which always helps ". And he ends: “ it is safer, faster in acceleration and top speed. Cornering speed is better. And it's easier to stop because the rear wheel stays more on the ground ". In Mandalika, however, the performance was different. Which brings us back to the tire factor…
