For his last race with the Tech 3 team, Pol achieved a high level performance with the fourth fastest time, just two tenths from the first row of the virtual starting grid.
In the first session, he never left the top positions and even held the lead in the standings for a moment. He finished fifth, seven tenths behind Jorge Lorenzo, which allowed Yamaha to place three of its machines among the top five, also thanks to Valentino Rossi's second position.
What could only have been a morning brilliance was confirmed in the afternoon, when Pol finished in fourth place, half a second from Jorge Lorenzo's best time, but above all two tenths from Maverick Vinales third. Espargaro is always keen to do well in Valencia, in front of his family, friends and supporters, but this year also in the company of the Tech 3 team with whom he is racing for the last time. A podium, a first row, would bring an indelible smile to everyone.
According to Pol, “ Today was a very promising start to the weekend and I am happy and satisfied with it. It's been a long time since I had this much fun riding my Yamaha, so it's a shame we had to wait until the last race to do it. As for the tires, Michelin went back to the old carcass they used at the start of the season and these tires have a lot of grip at the rear. On this track we can use it with a different compound and the truth is that we have improved our grip level a lot and the bike works really well. Also, this circuit suits my riding style and the Yamaha has always been strong here. Therefore, it was a very good first day with many positive points and now we will try to continue our progress tomorrow in order to make a great qualification for what will be my last race with Tech 3."
