So far everything was going quite well for Pol Espargaró with a Honda that he is discovering. But the man-machine couple has just experienced its first difficulty on this Friday of the Doha Grand Prix, which, this time, was not another element to add to the progression curve. A decline symbolized by this 17th place which puts the Repsol driver last in the Honda clan. Meanwhile, his teammate Stefan Bradl secured a place in the top 10, and, undoubtedly, in Q2...
Friday of Doha Grand Prix reminded to Pol Espargaro that nothing will be easy for him at Honda. The first signs have certainly been encouraging, but nothing should be taken at face value. The fact remains that the disappointing result of this start to the second meeting of the season was still a mixture of human errors and technical pitfalls.
Pol Espargaro explain : " it's easy. I didn't have a good ride ". Then he details: “ I did a lot of tricks. But it didn't work and it just didn't work together. It's not an excuse, it's reality ».
The 29-year-old pilot reveals an issue also raised by Joan mir in his day’s report: “ we have preheated tires in the tire selection for Saturday. Their performance is lower here, but we have to use them. The level of grip is significantly lower than that of tires that were not heated the previous week. Then if we take the tires that work, the bike is completely different. I make many mistakes. We now have a tire that is preheated, the rest works. We'll see if we had the right strategy ».
Pol Espargaro: “I was never strong here”
The Spaniard, however, specifies: “ this is not an excuse, other drivers have this problem too. But I just miss the feeling of the first round. In the end I was two tenths too slow ". And he finds himself a little more than a second behind the best time which is the prerogative of Jack Miller on Ducati.
The younger brother I will espargaro adds: " I have never been strong here in Doha, this makes things even more difficult. Then I attacked the clock with the only tire that worked. But it wasn't enough. I also made a mistake and it's just not enough when it's this tight. I was too slow on one lap, this is the summary of Friday ».
He finishes : " Taka Nakagami wasn't even in Q2 last weekend and he was ahead of us in the race. So we have to keep working, be relaxed and let it happen. Of course, we are not in the desired situation, but I am convinced that we will get there ».
MotoGP Qatar 2 J1: times
