Pol Espargaro thinks he can challenge for the MotoGP championship after finishing third in Qatar; ‘Finally we can achieve what I’m dreaming of, which is to be world champion. For sure, I’m going to fight for it with Honda.’
Pol Espargaro is confident that the new RC213V Repsol Honda bike would help him win the MotoGP championship in 2022.
Espargaro has already surpassed his victory count from 2021 in just the first race of the year, despite missing out on a potential maiden MotoGP victory during the final five circuits in Qatar.
Espargaro, who led 17 of the 22 laps before trying to make a crucial error behind Enea Bastianini – out-braking himself while in the Ducati rider’s slipstream, causing him to run off track – continues to build on a strong pre-season showing, demonstrating that not only Marc Marquez can compete for MotoGP victories on this version of the Honda.
His accomplishment has given him so much confidence in him that the former KTM rider now fantasises about competing for the world championship.
Espargaro said: “I was with good pace and position in Malaysia, then I was first in Mandalika with a good feeling on the race pace, was quite fast.
“Then I was saying let’s just wait for the first race and let’s see what happens there. Now we are in the first race, I lead almost all the race and I have been powerful. I felt powerful on the bike.
“I feel that I can do that in all the races, so we started from Qatar and the feeling was nice. We take 16 points here and we move to Mandalika which is a place where I’m fast.
“Finally we can achieve what I’m dreaming everytime I wake up, which is to be world champion. For sure, I’m going to fight for it with Honda.”
Espargaro endured late pressure from his brother Aleix, who was able to drive through the field from sixth to fourth in the final stages due to overtakes on Joan Mir and Marquez.
“Well, I was sobbing [laughs] to see my brother next to me to have a beautiful fight,” Espargaro remarked when questioned about knowing who was behind him and eventually being in a position where both riders have a bike powerful enough to contend for the win.
“I think today was not a good day for me because I was fighting without the correct weapons at the end of the race. My tyres were completely finished.
“I was not able to fight with anybody I think. It was good to keep him behind, but I don’t remember the last time two brothers are third and fourth, I think maybe it was in Silverstone last year.
“He is fast with Aprilia and I can be fast with the Honda so I think it’s going to happen soon that we are going to fight for the podium with my brother. This is beautiful.”
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