Pol Espargaró has found himself at the center of speculation in recent days, as a collateral effect of the news of the imminent departure of Suzuki . The two riders from the Hamamatsu team, Joan Mir and Alex Rins , are now on the market and the effects could be devastating for other competitors, whose continuity may be in jeopardy. The #44 is one of them, as its handlebars have been cited from the start as the fate of the 2020 world champion.
Asked about the issue on the eve of the first practice sessions for the French Grand Prix, the driver from Granollers reacted angrily to past press statements.
“ I’ll be here until Valencia and I’ll talk about it when there’s something official” expressed Pol. “But, so far, between the two parties, Honda and me, everything is going well. We will continue working this weekend as we always do and I hope that We can have a good race.”
Despite his annoyance, the Spanish pilot assured that he manages to remain hermetic to the noises that come from outside. “I got used to it throughout my sports career,” he explained. “I think this news has increased over the years.”
“It multiplied more with social media, but basically I have found myself in this situation very often. Before, when I was a satellite pilot, I changed or renewed my contract every year, so every year I was in the situation that I am in now, And I survived!”
Although he denies having been informed of the end of his union with Honda, with which he is contesting his second season, Pol Espargaró cannot ignore that Joan Mir himself cited the Japanese brand as one of his manager’s interlocutors . If the first speculations on the subject, in February, had been flatly denied at the time, this time the context is very different.
When asked if he is worried, Espargaró replies: “Not more than before. It’s like that. I’m a MotoGP rider and I want to be here and race in MotoGP, but in the end I’m a rider. If I’m not here, I’ll be somewhere else, And if not, I’ll become the team manager, I don’t know!”
However, emphasizing that there are still “some bikes available”, Espargaró assured that he does not know when he will look at his future. “It’s definitely not my job. I have a manager who does that and talks to various teams, including Honda I think. They all want to clarify their future as soon as possible, but in the end there is a moment. We have to wait.”
“With this Suzuki mess being like this, we have to play our cards right and I have to be as quick as possible in the race. At the moment, I am the second Honda rider, nine points behind my teammate [Marc Márquez] , with the only podium for the team. I will try to continue giving my best here at Le Mans, I think it can be a good weekend”, settled the Spanish driver.
