After encouraging off-season testing at the Losail track for his debut on the Honda RC213V, Pol Espargaró was hoping to make a splash at the two Grands Prix held in Qatar to open the season. Unfortunately, it didn't exactly happen that way, even if, given the small gaps recorded between the protagonists of the discipline, the new Repsol driver was not unworthy. However, he aims higher and recognizes that he needs a reference that will tickle him. Indeed, Marc Marquez will make his return next weekend at Portimao…
Marc Marquez will make his comeback to competition after nine months of convalescence. He will regain possession of his space in the box Repsol Honda, where he will discover a new teammate in the person of Pol Espargaro. Should the latter fear this return of the eight-time World Champion to Portugal next weekend ? Maybe, but he doesn't take it that way. For him, on the contrary, to confront Marc Marquez will be beneficial to him, it being understood that after two Grands Prix at Qatar, he realized that he needed a reference to flourish on the Honda.
However, and with all due respect to the three other pilots of the RC213V at Losail, there is no reference at Honda. Pol Espargaro comments as follows: we don't have anyone at Honda who can make a big difference. Once we have that, I can use that benchmark and think about what I need to do to move faster ».
Pol Espargaro: “Marc has always made the difference at HRC”
The 29-year-old driver adds: “ we all drove similarly. I can't say exactly what the collaboration with Marc will look like. I spoke to the team. They told me that in 2020, the difference between Taka and Marc was not very big. But in the past, Marc has always made the difference at HRC. Stefan Bradl also struggled in Doha. Now I'm curious to see if Marc can ride a second faster than me. Then everyone can point at me and say, “You need to do this too.” » But until now we have all struggled without finding a solution. It made our life really difficult ».
« I switched to a new brand. But I lost 1,3 seconds in qualifying the second weekend, it was too much. Everything is new to me compared to the last four years. The feeling with the bike is different, the team, everything » concludes Pol on speedweek. " I am not happy with my current situation. At the moment we are too slow on just one lap. But we were much stronger in the race. The first weekend in Doha we were good at race speed. But I had to start from twelfth place on the grid. This does not meet our expectations ».
