With the coolest temperature in the morning and the rubberized track of the whole weekend, in the first laps the fastest times of the test were set and Pol Espargaró, in his eighth lap (of 88) stopped the clock in 1.39.688 , the fifth best record on the time sheet.
For the Respsol Honda rider it was a day of a lot of work, since with Marc Márquez and Takaaki Nakagami out, he had a lot of material to test.
“I am happy because we have tried a chassis and a swingarm that have worked for us, it is not a panacea, it does not give a lot of lap time, but it does give us a little more confidence. Also an aerodynamic package that works a little better and gives us a little more speed on the straight, something we had been losing and it made it difficult for us to overtake. For the next races, especially those on faster circuits, we will have an improvement”.
The chassis and swingarm that Pol has tested are understood to be the ones that Marc Márquez wore in Mugello and Takaaki Nakagami was able to test in Barcelona last weekend.
“Yes, it is indeed those pieces,” he said, although the Japanese assured that he had not noticed any improvement, returning to the old pieces.
“During a race weekend it is very difficult to see the differences, you are motivated looking for a result and it is very difficult to get the bike ready. In the test you have more time to get the bike ready and the right settings. We have been able to solve the few problems that it gave and me, personally, I liked it”.
What Honda has not done yet is the homologation of the second aerodynamics for the season.
“We have tested the new wings in this test and we will surely homologate them for the next races,” he admitted without specifying when (only one change per year can be made).
Looking back at Sunday’s race, Pol started like a shot, got fifth and then, little by little, he lost places until finishing outside the points (17th), due to a defective tire.
“I had a loss of grip compared to training,” he said, repeating the same thing as on Sunday in a recording distributed by the team.
“That’s what I have to say, I feel bad but I can’t make another statement.”
The one who did speak was Jack Miller, who assured that the rear tire ended up destroyed.
“I can’t say anything more than what I’ve told you,” Polyccio settled the issue.
What he did talk about was his future, and although he was a bit clueless at first, he explained that he has several options open.
“We have several options, I am happy because we can choose, something that in these times in MotoGP is not easy at all. Everything is a bit green because there are other riders negotiating and other options on the table that it is not clear if they are going to come out or not. We are going to wait a bit, but the truth is that I am very calm with this issue, “he said.
Faced with the direct question of whether he is going to leave Honda at the end of the season, he threw balls out.
“I don’t know, I have an option to stay, we are considering it, but I don’t know,” he said about an alleged offer to go to LCR, something that is not what most attracts him, far from it.
“What I want is to start getting results, what doesn’t appeal to me is finishing 8th or 10th, it’s not what I want, neither me nor anyone else. But there are problems that we have to solve (the bike) and I’m very stubborn and when things are not going well I prefer to work, not throw in the towel and walk away. We have taken a step in this test and let’s see if we are able to take it to the track in the next races”, settled the boy from Granollers.
