MotoGP, Puig on Pol Espargaró: “He’s shown why we chose him”

For Honda rider Pol Espargaró, the Silverstone weekend was his best of the season so far, the Spaniard taking pole on Saturday, his first in Honda colours, and a fifth-place finish in the race. He couldn’t have done more, and the enthusiasm in the garage was palpable. Honda team manager Alberto Puig had this to say.

Puig: “A turning point”

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“The weekend marked a very important turning point for Pol Espargaró", he told MotoGP.com. "I think he’s taken an enormous step compared to what we’d seen so far this season”. Puig was pleased with the Spaniard’s entire weekend: “The way he approached the race was great and he was able to demonstrate his full potential. Pol is a rider who can run in these positions, so from now on we hope he can continue along this path and continue to make progress”.

“He’s back to being fast”

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The former KTM rider didn’t have an easy time of it with the RC213V at first but, despite there being more work ahead, Puig, and Honda alike, are pleased with their decision: “It wasn’t easy for him to score this result, but he definitely deserves it. It was great to see him score pole in qualifying and, although he was going for the podium in the race, he was able to take a big step and return to his previous form. The positive thing is that Pol Espargaró has been able to return to his true level, he’s shown why we asked him to come to HRC. His aim was to run a good race, we weren’t looking for the podium. He also suffered a drop in rear tyre performance, perhaps our decision to go with the soft wasn’t right. But the important thing is that he’s back to being fast”.

Translated by Heather Watson

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