By switching to Honda, Pol Espargaro got the chance to study the data of long-term rival Marc Marquez: In the process, he came across surprises
Last winter, Pol Espargaro switched to Honda after four years with KTM. Espargaro wanted to take the next step in his career with the Repsol Honda factory team, which was used to success. But from a sporting point of view, things did not go well for the fifth-placed rider in the 2020 World Championship. Espargaro had his problems with the Honda RC213V and only finished the 2021 season in twelfth position in the riders’ standings.
Team-mate Marc Marquez finished seventh in the world championship despite missing several races. The ex-champion won three Grands Prix, while Pol Espargaro could only boast a second place.
Pol Espargaro and Marc Marquez had been rivals since childhood. The two Spaniards met again and again on the race tracks in Catalonia. In the World Championship, Espargaro and Marquez fought fierce duels in all three classes.
Before switching to Honda, Espargaro always rode for an opposing team. As Marquez’s teammate, Espargaro was able to study his long-time rival’s data for the first time and made some quite surprising findings.
“I have always raced against Marc. But now we have the same conditions and ride for the same team. That gives me a more realistic view than before. “
“There were situations where I was surprised how fast he is. In other situations I expected him to be faster,” Pol Espargaro reveals, specifying: “In the heat, for example, when the grip is bad, I would have guessed that Marc would rely more on the rear tyre to be fast, just like me.”
“I realised that the opposite was the case. He doesn’t need much grip to be fast. And that makes it complicated,” marvels the 2013 Moto2 champion. “He takes a very technical approach. I understand now why he trains like that and why he does certain things. As a teammate, I can better understand what he does to be fast. “
