2024 is a year of big changes for Pol Espargaro, who takes off the role of regular rider to become a KTM tester. In parallel with the task entrusted to him by the Austrian company, the Spaniard will also cover the role of commentator for Dazn Spain. The Granollers rider will see MotoGP from a different perspective and has already started to get used to it, carrying out the winter tests as a test rider. Now a new challenge awaits him, with headphones and a microphone to comment on the exploits of those who until last year were his rivals.
“My new role? I'd say I'm fine”, comments Pol Espargaro in an interview given to Spanish newspaper Brand. “At the moment the situation hasn't changed much for me, because I've done the pre-season tests. I haven't shot in Qatar, which is probably what cost me the most, but I've been in Malaysia and so far it's been good. I'll probably suffer a little more in the races, when I'm at the microphone and not on the bike. But also the fact that the DAZN project is new stimulates me a lot and I can't wait to start this new phase.”
In his new life, Pol Espargaro will be busy telling the adventures of the MotoGP riders, including the very one who took his place in the GasGas team. We're talking about Pedro Acosta, a rising star in the world championship and already brilliant on his debut. Polyccio, who will also be a tester of what the young man from Mazarron will bring to the track, offers a first impression on the reigning Moto2 world champion: “It's been a long time since I've seen a rider with so much talent make his debut in MotoGP. I saw it in Malaysia and maybe there it was a little more realistic than in other places because he did three days of testing more than the others. When the others arrived, he already had some experience on this circuit, but he won't have this in the first races outside Europe, where he has raced less. Maybe he will have it when we arrive in Europe, in Jerez for example.”
Pedro Acosta, Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“I think the first races will be a bit of learning, especially to understand the new ones times, which change a lot from Moto2 to MotoGP. Saturday with qualifying in the morning and Sprint in the afternoon… There's a lot of intensity. The weekends are very stressful and he will have to adapt little by little, but I am convinced that when the European races arrive and he races on the circuits he is more used to, his true talent will come out. However, I think that Pedro is a great talent and that we will enjoy him,” Espargaro continues talking about the rookie.
Not only Acosta, the 2024 MotoGP season promises to be full of innovations that bring with them many unknowns, first of all Marc Marquez in Ducati: “In the world of sport, the years pass very quickly, especially in motorcycling, where riders reach the very young premier class. The level rises quickly, so you could say he only had one year left on his contract. But in elite sport a year can be very long, mentally and technically. You have to readjust and reinvent yourself every year. I understand that he has the ambition to continue winning, he wants to win another world championship. He wants to surpass Valentino Rossi's number of titles, but he can only do this with a Ducati currently.”
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The Desmosedici is the most complete and coveted bike on the grid, excellent work was done at Borgo Panigale that other brands are struggling to match: “It's a combination of many things. It has a lot of stability, they were the first to introduce aerodynamics, which everyone now works on. This is why they have an advantage over other brands. At the moment, everyone is working to try to improve and Ducati is number one there. They understand perfectly what needs to be touched when a problem arises, and I believe this is the key to its superiority.”
At the moment, Ducati makes the difference over other brands and Aprilia seems to be the second force in the field, at the end of the tests. Then there is KTM, the other European brand that Espargaro knows very well: “Interrupting Ducati's dominance? Hopefully, that's the goal. However, it will be difficult because Ducati has taken another step forward this year. The 2024 bike seems to work very well and will not be a problem for KTM. It will be for everyone, but we are here.”
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
However, those who do not seem to emerge from the tunnel of difficulties are the Japanese brands. Pol Espargaro, who raced with Honda during one season, offers his point of view: “Yamaha is in a little better shape than Honda, but the latter have worked a lot during this pre-season. They brought a lot of things, many engineers, they got very close to Yamaha. The fact is that now both brands are suffering from the European evolution, which in recent years has been evident not only in motorcycling”.
So, in light of the current situation in MotoGP after the winter tests, Espargrao gives his list of title candidates before the action restarts from Qatar next week: “Without a doubt there are Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia. Watch out for Enea Bastianini, who was unlucky with injuries last year and this prevented him from being in the front. But I think he will be a driver to watch this year. I would also include Aleix Espargaro and Brad Binder… Obviously Jorge Martin too.”
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