MotoGP, can Pol usurp Marc as Honda frontrunner?

The Qatar MotoGP round is done and dusted and among the many topics of conversation is that relating to Honda, or specifically the Repsol Honda team, the factory squad. The two RC213 V bikes were clearly on display at Lusail, playing a starring role over the course of the weekend.

And this is good news for the bosses in Tokyo of course - the bike is competitive and the riders are learning to fully exploit it. And how did the riders go in the barren Persian desert? Well, not badly at all in fact, with both finishing top five.

But, more specifically, we can say that Espargaró did very well and Marquez well. Why very well and well? What separated the team-mates in practice, qualifying and the race was essentially the race result itself. Number 44 reached the third step of the rostrum – and battled for the win for a while – and the eight-time champion finished fifth, four seconds from winner Enea Bastianini. And so we can say that Pol did better than Marc.

Pol Espargaró: "tried and tested" and ready to beat MM93

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He’s already done so of course, in Qatar. We know that Marc is still working to return to full physical fitness over race distance, the phase in which the riders come under most stress, although he says he didn’t feel any arm pain over the race weekend.

Pol, on the other hand, has real stamina. He’s quick and showed this during testing at Sepang and Mandalika too, over the flying lap but particularly in terms of his race pace, during simulations. Brother Aleix (who also ran a great race on the Aprilia) pushed hard too, only dropping back in the final third of the race.

It’s also a question of tyres and so, considering a brand new RC213 V, third place shouldn’t be seen as a disappointment; on the contrary, Pol was extremely strong, the best Honda rider in the mix. Marc aside, Takaaki Nakagami and Alex Marquez suffered. And that’s why, taken from KTM and a little drained on arrival, number 44 is an asset to consider for the future. What if he were to become the HRC frontrunner?

Contract to sign: Pol is hungrier than Marc

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Hang on, we don’t mean that Marc is not hungry. He is. But Pol has additional motivation. A contract, one that will expire at the end of 2022 and that should ideally be signed before the season finishes. And it will finish at Valencia, in exactly 20 races’ time.

The Spaniard is in no hurry though. Yes, he wants to re-sign with HRC, confirming a contract as soon as possible but, at the same time, he’s taking his time, aware of at least three things that are important to him.

The first – he is great aboard the RC213 V. And not just good, as outlined above. Second – he has already done better than Marc, with a podium versus a first place. And third – they are often careful and conservative in Tokyo. Why throw away the good work and start over with a new and unknown entity?

Translated by Heather Watson

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