At a Valencia round that is not exactly short on talking points, with the title still up for grabs and Marc Marquez set to run his last race with Honda before moving to Ducati, there will also be a farewell, or rather that of Pol Espargaró. The Spanish rider, Moto2 world champion in 2013, will compete in his last race as a full-time MotoGP rider before making way for Pedro Acosta on the GASGAS Tech3 team.

Pol: “I have butterflies in my stomach, I know it will be hard to return”

“I have butterflies in my stomach to think this will be my last race as a full-time rider in MotoGP”, said a clearly emotional Pol. “I’ve been in this paddock for 15 years and it will be hard to control my emotions at the end of the weekend, but I nevertheless want to give it my all during these final sessions and round out this incredible adventure in the best possible way. Also because I’ve always like the Valencia track and have achieved some strong results here”.

“I think I can say this will be more of a goodbye than a see you later, but you never know what might happen in the future”, continues the Spaniard. “The level in MotoGP is so high that it would be very difficult to return after being away and find that competitiveness again, especially with all the young riders who are moving up, but if I were to return, it wouldn’t be just to make up numbers.”

“The aerodynamics is becoming a problem, the MotoGP bikes have become stressful”

According to #44, the category has changed, particularly since the introduction of all the new aerodynamics: “From a technical standpoint, I think the aerodynamics have become a problem. We’re heading towards a point of no return and, to be honest, I preferred MotoGP as it was before, without wings, winglets and all these devices. On the other hand, to be a fast rider you have to be a real athlete now, as the bikes have become very stressful to ride, both physically and mentally.”

Lastly, Pol looks to the future and the riders moving up into the category: “A lot of very young guys will come to MotoGP in the near future, but not for long as there’ll soon be a minimum age for entry into the minor classes, which will mean a slightly shorter career in the reigning class. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing, as you recover fast from injury at 20, while it becomes more complicated at 30, something I know all about.”