The Spaniard, who hopes to make his return to KTM official in the next three weeks, most likely during the MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix, will surely find the second part of the season long.
After a remarkable winter and a very hopeful first race, in which he fought to win and finished on the podium, both he and the rest of the Honda riders entered into a dynamic of free fall that has prevented any of them from returning to climb into the drawer There is a very significant fact: despite having missed six races, Marc Márquez, 14th in the general points table, is the first of the Tokyo manufacturer’s drivers, with 15 margin over Takaaki Nakagami, who is second (16th) .
Per gallon, the absence of the guy from Cervera (Lleida) should have given his teammate the spearhead role of the RC213V’s development. However, his telegraphed signing by KTM made Honda focus the entire process on Nakagami -Alex Márquez, who will ride a Gresini Ducati next year, has ridden the same bike since the first appointment, in Qatar-.
At Silverstone, this weekend, Espargaró never found any sensations that would allow him to be optimistic. On Saturday he did not pass the first sieve of the timed; In the first laps of the race, already on Sunday, he rode at the back of the peloton, until little by little he overtook his rivals and crossed the finish line in 14th place, two tenths behind Nakagami and 13.9 seconds behind Pecco Bagnaia, the winner.
After the test, Pol Espargaró was more frustrated by the lack of reaction that Honda is showing despite its delicate situation – it is the last in the classification reserved for manufacturers – than by the result of this last event.
“What bothers me is that Honda does not speak out, that there is no reaction. I do not see that Honda is very worried. I do not know what to interpret. The worst thing is that a manufacturer like this does not show its muscle,” Espargaró conceded, in statements to Motorsport.com.
“Five years ago it seemed unthinkable that the Japanese brands would get rid little by little, and that the Italians would fly. It was something that could not be foreseen,” added the Catalan, very surprised, for worse, by the low waist and little ability to adapt to the new situation of the most successful company in the history of the championship.
“The problem is that I have no idea what Honda thinks; I don’t know if what is happening here reaches Japan. At first glance it doesn’t look like it because we are not receiving the material we need to improve the bike,” concluded the HRC man. .
