Catalan confirmed that he asked for the latest developments on the RC213V, but the Japanese LCR rider was chosen to take Marc Márquez's bike in the absence of the six-time MotoGP champion
Pol Espargaró was overlooked by Honda at this weekend's GP of Catalunya in favor of Takaaki Nakagami. Instead of giving the factory team's rider the new chassis and swingarm being tested by Marc Márquez, Honda chose the LCR rider to continue the work.
Marc stepped away from MotoGP after last weekend's Italian GP to undergo a fourth surgery on his right arm, still a result of the fracture he suffered in the 2020 season opener. With the Cervera rider out of action, HRC has handed over to the LCR starter the mission of continuing the development work on the bike.
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At Mugello, Márquez evaluated new parts to deal with the Honda's cornering difficulties and also temperature sensitivity. Pol Espargaró wanted to continue this work, but will stay with the bike he has been using since the beginning of the year.
"Marc's bike is going to Taka this weekend. So my goal is to continue with the bike I had since Qatar and try to be as fast as possible," Espargaró said. "So regarding the development of the bike, I'm not responsible for that this weekend. For [Monday's] test, I don't know," he followed.
Pol confirmed that he ordered Marc's bike and wanted to test the new parts. So far, the Catalan has been responsible for the only podium for the Gold Wing's brand this year, a third place in the Qatar GP.
"I like to test new thing on the bike. To improve the situation, there is only one way, bringing new thing to improve the bike and improving the results," he pondered. "If you don't try anything, you don't improve. That is clear, but still, I will keep fighting as always, see if something changes this weekend and if we can be faster," he commented.
"For sure, I asked for the best things, the new things and the latest evolution of the bike, but I'm not the guy who chooses if I'm going to get paid or not. I'm the guy who gets paid to ride the bike and be as fast as possible. And that's what I'm going to try this weekend," he concluded.
Nakagami, for his part, avoided detailing what items he received, but admitted that, as he did in 2020, he inherited more support from HRC in Marquez's absence.
"Marc is out and it looks like Honda is trying to give more support to our side. I think more people will come [to LCR] during the sessions or during the weekend," he commented. "It looks like the 2020 style," he pointed out.
"I still need to talk, but it seems like they want to help our side. For the development and for the result. So it looks positive for us. Of course, there's still a lot of things I need to understand regarding what HRC is thinking, but we'll see tomorrow [Friday] or this weekend," he spoke. "But definitely more help makes things easier for us, since we are a satellite team and not a factory team. So even an extra person or two helps a lot. Hopefully everything will go well. My expectation for this weekend is to continue developing the bike or improving the bike. And hopefully we can fight for a podium or at least for the top five or six," he added.
Qualifying for the Catalunya GP of MotoGP takes place on Saturday at 9:10 AM (Brasilia time).GRANDE PRÊMIO follows all the activities of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship.