Indonesia GP, a furious Pol Espargaró: “I was without brakes in FP2”

Pol Espargaró's nineteenth-place finish in FP2 at Mandalika certainly doesn’t reflect his potential, with the Spaniard having led the morning session ahead of Miguel Oliveira. But there is a technical explanation for his difficulties, the brakes forcing him back into the pits just as he put in a soft tyre to head out for a flying lap. 

Espargaró and the problem in FP2

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“When I came back in, I was very angry because I missed the chance to get into Q2 and if it rains tomorrow, this will be a problem”, explains the Repsol Honda rider. “The reason? I couldn’t brake, the front brake wasn’t working. Unfortunately it’s a technical issue that can happen, but we need to understand why it happened”.

A setback that doesn’t cancel out Pol’s good impressions, the rider pleased with the work done to the Indonesian track: “The new asphalt is OK, the conditions are better than they were in testing. It’s not perfect, but they’ve done a great job in a little over a month. The track has good grip, it’s still dirty in some places but it’s not too bad”.

Pol: "I’m quick, Q2 is within reach"

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As for the competitiveness of his RC213V, Espargaró says he feels comfortable in all conditions: “We’re at the same level as everyone else, in FP1 I set the best time and I feel good on both soft and medium tyres”.

“Without that brake problem, I had the potential to finish top five. What matters is that I can push and set the kind of lap time I want. I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow, so I can improve and get through to Q2 - I have the speed to do it”, concludes #44.

Translated by Heather Watson

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