Pol Espargaró and the Repsol Honda Team will part ways at the end of this season, after two years of association. The Spaniard, who hasn’t finished gelling in the Japanese squad, will return to the ranks of KTM, this time in Tech 3 (with whom he made his debut in the premier class). His place will be taken, except for a last minute surprise, by Joan Mir, whose signing seems imminent.
But the split between the youngest of the Espargaró and Honda was not so evident at the beginning of the season, since it was the one from Granollers who achieved the only podium for Honda in 2022, at the opening round in Qatar. However, it didn’t take long for problems to arrive, with which he saw his position threatened, and Honda’s initial serenity gradually disappeared.
“Pol has always wanted to renew with Honda, but this year we told him that we would take more time to make the decision,” Repsol team principal Alberto Puig told DAZN during the Austrian Grand Prix. Although Espargaró ‘s performance did not live up to expectations, it is at the level of the other Honda riders (with the exception of Marc Márquez, who is still the brand’s rider with the most points overall).
Honda then made the decision to give the box a change of scenery and try to rejuvenate its squad. “Honda, as it is, is looking for slightly younger riders, because they want to develop the bike.” To do this, Puig understands that it is better “to find a younger rider who can stay in the team a little longer, but not a 30-year-old rider.”
Suddenly, the 31-year-old Espargaro was no longer welcome at HRC, who wasted no time opening talks with Joan Mir, six years his junior and out of contract for 2023 following the announcement of his departure from Suzuki. However, the young Spaniard is also having a difficult season and will miss the San Marino Grand Prix following his accident in Austria.
“I totally agree when it comes to pure speed. Honestly, I don’t think there’s much of a difference [between Espargaró and Mir],” admitted the team manager. “They are both very fast and Pol is a very brave driver, but I think in this case the question of age has been quite a decisive factor.”
It seems that the pattern to follow is similar in the LCR , Honda’s satellite structure, since Takaaki Nakagami is seeing his seat threatened by the also Japanese Ai Ogura. However, that change has not yet materialized.
But this logic is broken with the signing of Alex Rins, who has only been with Alex Márquez for four months, and in this case the Barcelonan’s experience has had more weight.
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