“In Aragon drauf gekommen” Pol Espargaro explains Q2 entry in Misano

– Pol Espargaro made an impressive return to the front field of MotoGP riders on Friday in Misano. The Misano weekend is the third, after Silverstone and Aragon, where the younger Espargaro brother steps in for the injured Maverick Vinales at Tech3-KTM. In the important afternoon practice, Espargaro finished P9, securing direct entry into the Q2 segment of qualifying for Saturday.

Read more Bagnaia only 19th on Misano Friday: «Problems to be seen in the data»

The way Espargaro managed to do this is as surprising as the fact that he managed it at all. After all, in the past two years he has only competed at selected race weekends, either with a wildcard or as a replacement for an injured regular rider in the KTM camp.

Espargaro has not gained much riding practice since his retirement as a full-time MotoGP rider (end of 2023), let alone race experience. And so he says after P9 on Misano Friday: “I can’t explain why and how I managed that. To be honest, explaining that is harder than doing a 30.6 in Misano.”

He is referring to his lap time of 1:30.674 minutes. That was only about half a second slower than the best time set by Aprilia factory rider Marco Bezzecchi. And it was less than 0.2 seconds slower than the time of KTM spearhead Pedro Acosta, who finished the practice in P6. Acosta was a great help to Espargaro.

Pol Espargaro was already “over the limit,” but then …

“It was crazy,” Espargaro shakes his head and begins to explain: “My first attempt was a 30.8. I came into the pits convinced that an improvement was impossible. I told ‘Manu’, my technician, how crazy the lap was and that I didn’t think I could do a better time. It’s so fast and so dangerous. I felt like I was over the limit the whole time.”

By “Manu” he means Jose Manuel Cazeaux, the crew chief of Maverick Vinales, who is now working with Espargaro indefinitely. When, and if at all, Vinales will return to the Tech3-KTM remains to be seen.

“But then,” Espargaro continues explaining his Friday afternoon, “I went back out on track. I had Pedro [Acosta] right in front of me. And thanks to him, I achieved what I did. Marc [Marquez] was right in front of Pedro. So I did my time attack behind Marc and Pedro and just thought, oh God, pinch me!”

Espargaro did not have difficulties with turbulence when following closely, which KTM factory rider Brad Binder complained about after P15 in the same session. On the contrary: “Actually, it was an incredible experience. I have many years of racing behind me. When something like this happens, that you ride behind Marc and Pedro, you have the MotoGP present and the MotoGP future right in front of you. I have to say, purely as a MotoGP fan, it was an incredible feeling. It was great.”

Time attack directly behind Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta

When asked why he did not have problems with disturbed air like Binder, Espargaro answers: “It depends on which rider you follow. Pedro is someone who brakes extremely late. But his lines are very clean. When braking, he is always so close to the limit that you just have to copy him.”

Read more This is how the first F1 Friday in Madrid went: Best time Antonelli, crash Lindblad

“It’s different when you have someone in front of you who then makes a mistake,” says Espargaro, thinking back two weeks: “That happened to me in Aragon. There I rode behind several riders and didn’t manage a good lap. I only managed a good lap when I was behind Fabio Quartararo. Do you understand?”

“I just knew that [Quartararo] rides very cleanly but brakes at the limit. So I was able to keep my focus behind him throughout the entire lap. It was clear to me that it would be the same behind Pedro here. And that’s exactly how it was,” explains the substitute rider at Tech3-KTM with enthusiasm.

Did Espargaro feel on his 1:30.6 lap in Misano that he copied more than he actually rode? “Well, the [MotoGP] category changes year by year. In Aragon I realized that it no longer makes sense to ride the bike the way I was used to. That’s why I had my tank pads changed between Aragon and here, so that I now sit a bit further back on the bike.”

“It’s the first time in my career that I have had something done to the tank to change my seating position,” reveals Espargaro and explains: “We decided on this step because we realized that a position slightly further back is beneficial for braking and traction.”

“This shows that the way I was used to riding for years, namely with a lot of pressure on the front wheel, is no longer sensible. Nowadays you have to brake differently and take the corners differently. And the best way to be fast is to copy the fastest.”

How Pol Espargaro adapts to the “disarmament” at KTM

According to Espargaro, what also helped in this context is “the fact that we [at KTM] have taken away a lot of downforce from the bike compared to last year. The front and rear wings are now smaller. And we no longer have those Dumbo ears on the swingarm.”

“In this way, we have reduced weight as well as downforce. And when you suddenly have so much less downforce, you also have to adjust your riding style accordingly.”

“But that is something you only notice when riding. I haven’t ridden for a long time and therefore have to copy someone who is fast. I chose Pedro and it worked. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow,” says Espargaro, who was the big surprise of the day on Friday in Misano.

Read more Williams mysterious: Only 19 employees know this trick!