Aleix Espargaro On The Title Fight - "He Is The Faster Rider"
Categories: MotoGP
Eight of twenty rounds into the 2023 season and three title contenders are emerging – Pecco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi.
Despite a 35-point lead over Jorge Martin, Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro is clear that World Championship leader Pecco Bagnaia is not the fastest rider on the grid.
“[Jorge] Martin is faster and has more potential than Pecco [Bagnaia],” said the Spaniard. “But at the moment Pecco is the better rider. His number confirms that he is the champion. But when it comes to pure speed, Jorge is faster.”
Espargaro is certain that the Pramac rider has always had the pure speed for a shot at the title, but that the 25-year-old has lacked the experience and consistency so far.
“He [Jorge Martin] will surely get faster and faster now. He is a very talented driver who is really fast. He’s a rider who can fight for the title.”
No one in the MotoGP paddock doubts that Martin can fight for the title in 2023, and the Pramac team is also dreaming of something big.
Team boss Gino Borsoi explains, “It’s a good challenge. It’s certainly difficult, it’s still the dream of all satellite teams to fight for the world championship.”
Full support...until the end?
It becomes questionable, however, should a battle between the Ducati factory team and the Ducati customer team occur late in the season, whether the Italian manufacturer will temporarily cease full support.
Espargaro recognizes the precarious situation, “He has the same bike, but rides for a different team than Pecco.”
“We’ll have to wait and see how Ducati deals with it and whether they want a satellite team to win the world championship.”
As far as that goes, however, Borsoi has no doubt that Ducati will continue to fully support the satellite team through the final stages of the season.
“Yes, I am one hundred percent convinced of that, not because I think so, but because we have talked about it. We are in agreement on that.
“As a satellite team, but with official bikes, we have the full support. We will have the same weapons.”
