P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Pol Espargaro feels like he has reached “the beginning of the end” in MotoGP
The Moto2 world champion of 2013 has been racing full-time in MotoGP since 2014, with various teams such as Tech3 Yamaha, KTM, Honda, and now Tech3 GasGas for 2023, achieving eight podium finishes along the way. A serious injury suffered during practice for the Portuguese GP prevented Espargaro from competing until the British GP in August. His return to racing was challenging, and he only managed to score 15 points as he struggled to regain full fitness. Despite this, he has been replaced at Tech3 by the highly anticipated rookie Pedro Acosta and will now assume a test ride role within KTM, which includes a maximum of six wildcard entries. Although Espargaro finished in 14th place after remounting from a crash in Valencia, he expressed strong emotions and felt that this marked the end of a chapter in his career. Although he intends to continue racing, Espargaro acknowledged that it will be a different experience and hopes to recover fully from his injury to be competitive again. He also revealed that certain muscles are still significantly weakened, and their recovery may take over a year. Honda approached Espargaro for a potential return to the team as Marc Marquez’s replacement in 2024, but he decided to stay with KTM as a test rider.
