Pol Espargaró has finished with this 2023 season which was supposed to be that of rebound with the reunion within the Pierer Mobility group, but which will ultimately have been that of the end of his career as a starting driver. Everything changed from the first meeting in Portugal, with a very violent fall in Portimao which could have turned into a tragedy. With courage and determination, he returned to the handlebars of his GASGAS and performed admirably. But the sporting, political and medical reality caught up with him. Once the campaign was over, he gave in and, looking back, said he was happy with this opportunity to continue driving in another way.
Pol Espargaro spoke to Manuel Pecino on motosan, but not only, about the events which led him to disrupt his career plan. Because this accident in Portimao also turned his life upside down and the approach of his family environment towards his profession. He became aware of it, just as he knew how to take stock of himself, to reasonably take a step back. As it is not in his DNA, he is not throwing in the towel and is keeping 2025 in focus for a possible return, but for now, it is about rebuilding the man...
« All the treatments I underwent were quite traumatic " begin Pol Espargaro. “ A month without being able to eat, only drink and without being able to hold my daughters in my arms. Now, the oldest, who is the one who understands a little more, when I fall, always asks me if my back hurts. We don't realize it, but she saw me suffer a lot. It was not the sporting aspect, but rather the pain and trauma of all these wounds combined ».
The pilot GASGAS Tech3 then recognizes: “ physically it's complicated, I'm not 100%. During this offseason I will be like a beast, I will fight to be there. But my feeling now is that I'm not 100%, and to fight with these guys who have incredible talent, with very competitive bikes, you have to be at your maximum physical level, and I am not. not ».
Pol Espargaro: “ I have to wait and see how the treatments work to get back into shape in my left side of the body »
« If I hadn't had this fall, with my training method, I think I would have increased my level until I was 34 or 35. No problem. But with this injury, things change » mentions again Pol Espargaro. " I have to wait and see how I feel, how the treatments work to get back into shape in my left side of the body. If all goes well, maybe in 2025 I will want to come back to run, here or elsewhere. I want to focus on myself, recover and we will see what happens in 2025 ».
On this subject, he remembers how he made his way to listen to reason: “ I was playing padel with a friend in Andorra and I told him that I had a call with one of the bosses. Pit Beirer called me. I was lucky to be able to speak directly with them, which is not so easy in business.. He explained the situation to me and asked me what I thought, they hadn't made a decision yet but they were evaluating ».
« Obviously, when they tell you something like that, you immediately think that you don't want it, but with a cool head you start to think and evaluate the situation. That day we spoke four times and finally, we see the positive side of everything, we thought it was a good decision. Even if it was complicated for me, because it changes the mood a lot even if we know it's the right decision ».
