MotoGP Aragon: ‘Honda struggles extraordinary, my choice to leave’ - Espargaro

Pol Espargaro returns to the KTM MotoGP family for 2023 but his departure from Repsol Honda was not as one sided as opinion first believed.

The 31-year-old has faced a difficult time since signing for HRC, with the RC213V’s development crumbling despite a positive 2022 preseason and opening race success at Qatar. While talk often suggested he was surplus to requirement at the Japanese firm, Espargaro has since admitted there was an offer to stay on the table before he chose a return to Austria.

“I had an opportunity to stay in Honda, which this for me was huge respect from them,” Espargaro confirmed. “They know that the bike is not performing well so they kind of don’t put all the heavy weight on my back saying ‘You are not good enough, so go out of the project’.

“They give me an opportunity to continue, they like me, but I choose something else.

“I want to go in a bike where I know I’m going to be fast,” he continued on his choice to reignite his participation in the RC-16 project he started with in 2017. “I know the people that is going to surround me, to have everything in my hand to be fast. I go there to try to be the best GasGas in that case and then the best inside KTM.

“I have something extra, which is my experience in different manufacturers, also knowing how we start with this project and how the bike end up. So I think I can import a little bit more than just speed and pure results. I’m open for everything, trying to do my best in results but also in developing the bike to make a better bike for sure.”

While 2021 was a learning year for the Spaniard at Repsol Honda, expectations for 2022 ran high. A promising pre-season saw Espargaro back at the sharp end, and a podium in the inaugural race at Losail, two