After completing first for the second time in three days at Mandalika, Pol Espargaro claimed he’never been so quick’ heading into a MotoGP season.
After winning day three of the Mandalika MotoGP test, Pol Espargaro’s excellent pre-season success continues for Honda.
Following yesterday’s day two, the Spanish rider admitted he was prepared for round one, and Sunday’s result didn’t change his mind as he soundly beaten world champion Fabio Quartararo by 0.014s, setting an official time of 1:31.060s.
Espargaro was among the first riders to finish his test schedule, and when asked about his quickest lap – it was still unclear if he would complete first or not because many riders were still on track – he said: “At the moment yes but the track improves quite a lot. In the morning it’s good but in the afternoon it’s very good.
“In the end it doesn’t matter, it’s just one lap in a test. It’s good because it shows the potential is so high in our bike in one lap which is something we needed to improve from last year after seeing how fast the Ducati’s are in one lap.
“But the most important thing is the pace, the bike is working well and there are no crashes. It’s so important to build up the confidence for the first race in Qatar. Already feeling ready for that.”
Honda are without a doubt the early favourites for the race win in Qatar, with Espargaro being among the fastest in race simulations and his time attack performance leading him to finish two of the three days fastest.
And, while Espargaro emphasized the importance of becoming fast in both one lap and throughout the course of a race, there’s another reason for the former KTM rider’s upbeat attitude…
“See, normally when we are in Malaysia, Thailand; these places were my weakest places,” said the seven-time MotoGP podium finisher. “It was also the bike’s weakest place as well.
“I struggled a lot with hot conditions and wasn’t able to ride how I like. So being fast in Malaysia, being fast here in Mandalika is so important for me.
“We did it in one lap but also with the pace when the tyre starts to drop. That is when you know if you are working and if the bike is working. We are not too bad and for that reason I think we are ready for Qatar.”
Espargaro seemed to have improved his rhythm when ‘on throttle’ atop the 2022 RC213V. (corner exit).
In fact, it has prompted Espargaro to declare that he has ‘never been so fast’ heading into a season, but the 30-year-old was keen to stress out that test results don’t represent anything.
“No, honestly no. I’ve never been so fast before. For sure the Honda is working good, but as I said, it’s just a test.” Espargaro said when asked if he’s ever felt much better about the beginning of each season.
“We performed well in one lap and with the rhythm, but at the end of the day no points were given today.
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