Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda RC 213), a podium finisher in the Qatar race and tenth in the world championship standings, has no hesitation in saying that for him the most important thing in this race and in all of it is “win, win all .the races “.
This is what the driver from Granollers said in an interview for Agencia EFE at the Las Américas circuit, in Austin, in the US state of Texas.
When asked what the result will be for him this American weekend, after being seen in previous season races, the Repsol Honda rider assured, without a doubt: Win! I want to win races, in all races, and if they don’t win, maybe I’ll be happy too.
“In Qatar I finished third and I’m happy, despite the fact that I took a while and lost the second position which I think is what touched us, but we have to start the weekend, at the speed we have, thinking the about winning. the race and then we will see and evaluate at the end of the weekend, if that is enough, but we have to start with that attitude “, Pol Espargaró confirmed in the aforementioned interview.
P. Podium in Qatar, twelfth in Indonesia and fell in Argentina. Maybe this isn’t the best start to the season, right?
Answer: “Well, ultimately it’s hard to wait for MotoGP, to have a forecast of what will happen, because there are a lot of fast rides, a lot of factories, and we’ve seen that, for example in Argentina, Aprilia is flying and so is Aleix, so that making a prediction on what will happen is complicated, but it is true that we did not start in the best way, because of what happened in Indonesia and because of the crash last time.racing in Argentina, but after all speed , we have it; before I fell I was fourth; in Qatar, I led most of the race laps, so on the one hand I was happy, but on the other hand a bit disappointed.
Q. The situation experienced in Indonesia is something that should not be repeated, particularly because of tire problems.
A. “Yes, ultimately it’s a big problem because it’s something we can’t control, it’s something completely external to the team, over which we have no control and it can happen to us again; also in that case. the tires are picked a week and a half or two weeks before going to the races, so it doesn’t give you any reaction time and if it’s still a European race, then almost all the material is in Europe, but in outside of Europe, the boxes were shipped with all the material, so no, you’re pretty much at their mercy, little in the hands of Michelin in this case and, moreover, it’s even worse that we’re there already little before and that we saw the results and we knew that everything was right and clear, then when it came to the weekend it completely changed the film for us. “
Q. Have they made the group or whoever its equivalent to see that this is not the way to act?
R. “No, from Honda, no. Alberto -Puig- yes it’s true that he’s been in a lot of controversy at Michelin and has done his job, to defend ourselves tooth and nail, but ultimately the truth is we’re not asking of anything from Michelin, from the team, from Honda we have no complaints or special requirements that are different from others.
We need tires that are for every race and that’s why the bike was made, based on some casing and tires that are for everyone throughout the year and that’s it. Nothing more is being asked from Honda and nothing on my part. It’s just and simple to have a stability in terms of compounds and casing that’s what we need to have throughout the year a priori and that they don’t change because that’s how the rules are. ”
Q. Marc Márquez is back on the team and, moreover, he does it on a circuit that is very special and very suited to his style. In what way do you hope that situation will benefit you?
R. “Well, we’re all waiting for Marc. It’s very important that Marc is here to see the potential, one hundred percent of the potential of the bike, I’m fine in Argentina, with problems, but I’m close to the podium, but of course No. you know what can happen, yes I can compare myself to other Hondas and they are far behind, Taka -Takaaki Nakagami- is not in the top ten and Alex -Alex Márquez- has a hard time getting a point, and I was there in the front, I mean I think we were doing well but you always have that doubt about how far can go this bike and with Marc on track that doubt is cleared up.
In Qatar, having Marc on the track, I know I did a very good job, because Marc ended up behind me, but without Marc, surely anyone would think ‘that bike could have won the race and Pol ‘you’re going to win me the race’, so it’s always good to have Marc on track because it gives you the added value of knowing that bike’s maximum potential ”.
Q. Do you hope that the arrival of Marc and all he teaches can be a shock about the collapse experienced in Argentina in terms of results?
A. “Well, yes, let’s hope we have a better result, I think we have to start on the same line. In Qatar we started in sixth, in Indonesia fourth. In Qatar we led almost the entire race and third, in Argentina., without the crash, I think it would have been so bad we would have finished fourth in the race.
The line is good, we have speed and we need to continue on that line because the results are gradual and it’s been a very long season where we can’t get to the first races, to the first results, and clearly this race is counts the same as at Mugello, for example, in the middle of the season, but we have to continue to work poorly and if the results don’t come out in the first two or three or in the last two races or here Well, we shouldn’t lose. hope, we must continue to work. The World Cup is very, very long. “
Q. Are there some circuits where you think you need or have an obligation to produce a certain result?
A. “Well, not especially. I know that there are circuits where a priori I’m going to go fast, in the first races of the year in Europe because I’m good at Portimao, Jerez I’m good too; Le Mans in France is a circuit that I love, I love it, and I’m very good at it.
Well, they are circuits where I know when we get to Europe the results can start to come a lot easier than these races at the beginning of the season and the reason is you don’t know the events you’re going to have. you find yourself, You don’t know the grip on the track and you don’t have starting points, you don’t know if the track is going to be very submerged or not very bumpy, or if you’re going to find anything on the track.
It’s always pretty uncertain in racing outside of Europe because there’s a lack of activity on those circuits, while in Europe you know that when you come to a circuit it’s going to be perfect or almost perfect, and that way it’s easier face the weekends, but I think when we start in Europe, things will be much better. “
Q. In Argentina, you were not in the best mood because of the crash when you went to congratulate your brother Aleix on the victory. Have you talked to him more calmly now? Do you have a bet to see who wins a MotoGP race first?
“No, no. Aleix and I haven’t talked about it yet – betting on first success for one or the other – but to Aleix it’s obvious, because I’ve always been the one closest to him throughout his career. in sports.I know how hard you work.
At that moment when the race in Argentina ends, you have the feeling that ‘oh yeah, what a great thing he achieved’ because I also have a few podiums in MotoGP, but Aleix has been minimal in his entire athletic career and very few wins, so this victory amplifies the result for him.
At that moment I was very angry, frustrated with myself and, moreover, I felt bad at the thought that ‘oh my, Aleix has already achieved this result and we can both enjoy it as siblings, but no I fulfilled it ’cause I could not. to finish the race and not be able to celebrate the result of the race as a family, and that also made me angry, but well, at the level that Aleix has and the speed that we have, I think this year this situation. can be repeated more than once and hopefully more than one and more than two.
Why not fight and stand together on a podium? I don’t see it as crazy. ”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
