Did Alberto Puig have a hollow nose when he recruited Pol Espargaró very early last year? We were in full confinement, the season was still awaiting its launch when the man from Repsol Honda went to poach the first rider from the KTM factory. The latter knew that he was taking a risk given the fate that the RC213V had reserved for its predecessors. All these speculations and predictions stopped as soon as the offseason began, delivering the only verdict that matters: that of the track. Now here are the trends. And they are promising...
During off-season tests in Qatar, there was the ballistic velocity of the Ducati, the surprise appearance ofAprilia at the forefront with its new RS-GP, and the performance of Pol Espargaro on a Honda that he discovered. An event which did not escape certain pilots. Started with the one who finished in first place during the five days devoted to these important tests in preparation for the 2021 season: Jack Miller. The official Ducati declared: “ for me, Pol was the driver who stood out in this test because he was the one who had to take on the biggest challenge » comments the official Ducati.
« I'm sure the features of the KTM with the steel frame and everything else are completely different from the Honda. I think he was able to adapt very well. He set fantastic lap times and also had good race pace » analyzes the Australian who ends: “ I am pleasantly surprised because in the past we have seen that not everyone can adapt to the Honda. But we all expected Pol to have that aggressive style, and that's what's needed with the Honda ", said Miller.
His older brother Aleix also congratulated his younger brother: “ for me he is one of the four favorites », Comments the official bluntly Aprilia. " He's one of the title contenders, and it's not because he's my brother ". He therefore supports: “ he demonstrated it with the KTM last year. Just see what he does with the Honda. They told me he had a really big smile when he was at the stand »Reports Aleix Espargaró. " He moved to the best team with the best bike. Marc Marquez has always been able to win ».
Puig: “the adaptation was very successful”
Given the atmosphere, Pol Espargaro feels obliged to calm things down… “ I don't think I'm ready for victory yet », declared the newcomer at Honda. " During the test, anyone can push to the limit. You don't lose anything if you fall. But in the race, in qualifying or even in free practice, you can't push that hard because you have a limited number of tires that you can't waste. You have to be careful and pay attention », Explains the former Moto2 World Champion.
The factory team Honda, which was very shaken last year, aspires to find some stability this year. The beginnings of Pol Espargaro under the colors of Repsol definitely help to maintain hope before the season MotoGP 2021. « We are very happy because he loves motorcycling and was able to achieve fast times. The adaptation was very successful ", commented Honda team manager Alberto Puig. " The important thing is that Pol is happy with the bike. It does him good. This is what we are looking for at the moment ».
« We expected Pol to be able to adapt to our bike quickly. The adjustment was quick and also smooth. Some drivers force adaptation. They exert pressure. With Pol, it happened naturally" , finished Alberto puig the head of the HRC team.
MotoGP Tests Qatar 2: combined ranking
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
