Espargaro willing to make room for younger rider...on one condition
Categories: MotoGP
Rumors have been growing for some time that Pedro Acosta could be on the verge of making the step up to MotoGP. Pol Espargaro is willing to make room for the youngster…on one condition.
After a long injury lay-off, Pol Espargaro is eager to make his MotoGP comeback at the British Grand Prix after the summer break.
The Spaniard crashed hard at the Portimao season opener and has since suffered a contusion to his lung, a fractured vertebra, and a broken jaw.
At one stage the GasGas rider even considered ending his career prematurely. However, now the 32-year-old is determined to make a return to MotoGP.
A lot has changed in the MotoGP paddock since Espargaro’s crash, and the future of the Spaniard is increasingly in focus. The blame is not his own, but that of Moto2 youngster Pedro Acosta.
The current Moto2 runner-up is doubling down on a MotoGP seat for 2024. Without a single race under his belt, Espargaro’s MotoGP future appears to be in jeopardy.
KTM does not want to lose the “greatest talent since Marc Marquez”. An internal deadline reportedly written into the contract expires at the end of June, after which Acosta is likely to negotiate with other manufacturers.
KTM has a big decision to make. With four fast riders at the moment and Acosta up their sleeve, they will probably have to part ways with one of their riders for 2024.
“That’s their problem, not mine,” Espargaro replied with a laugh during his first media round in a long time when he visited the MotoGP paddock at Assen.
At this stage the Spaniard is not worried about his future with GasGas, saying that his contract is “locked in” until the end of 2024.
“I want to get on the bike and see how fast I am. I think I can show speed. I’m going to keep pushing for the factory, they’ve shown me so much love in these three months, they deserve good results.”
Willing To Make Room...On One Condition
The relationship between Espargaro and KTM could hardly be better. In the early years of the KTM MotoGP project, the Spaniard developed into the number one rider in the factory team before accepting a tempting offer from Repsol Honda, only to return to the KTM structure two disappointing years later.
Despite his good relationship with his employer, Espargaro knows how tough MotoGP can be. If a rider doesn’t perform as expected, changes can be swift.
He himself has no problem with this and makes a surprising statement regarding his comeback ambitions even showing he is willing to make room for younger riders if KTM isn’t happy with his results.
“I want to come back and deliver results that say he has to stay. If I don’t deliver those results then I’m happy to step aside and let a younger guy take my place, but for now, I want to prove that I still have the speed.
