After two seasons without great success with Repsol Honda, Pol Espargaró returned in 2023 to two teams he knows well – KTM and Tech3, representing GasGas Tech3. It had everything to be a cheerful chapter, but quickly turned into a nightmare that probably led to the end of his career as a regular rider.
When talking about Espargaró’s season, it is unavoidable to mention the Portuguese GP. In the second practice session of the year, the Spaniard suffered a serious accident. He fractured a dorsal vertebra and had a lung contusion, and had to stay off the track for the entire first part of the season.
The return only happened at the British GP. There, Espargaró had to regain fitness, competitive rhythm, and rediscover the bike and the team, so the task was not easy. However, he made a good impression with 12th place at Silverstone – followed by a surprising sixth place in the Sprint race at the Austrian GP.
However, until the end of the season, #44 never did better: he only scored points in four more rounds, with 13th place in India, 15th in Japan and Malaysia, and 14th in Valencia. Meanwhile, it was confirmed in early October that Espargaró would move to a test rider role within KTM in 2024, being replaced at GasGas Tech3 by rookie Pedro Acosta.
From that moment on, the man from Granollers was without a place in the grid for 2024 and there was even the unexpected possibility at Repsol Honda. However, he rejected it – still not fully recovered from the injuries: ‘I’m not at the point in my sporting career where I can choose that. I’m not competitive enough,’ he said in an interview with the Relevo website in which he also admitted: ‘Maybe it’s not the absolute end, but it’s definitely the beginning of the end.’
The KTM RC16 undoubtedly had the potential to do better than Espargaró did after returning. The events in Portimão left physical and, most likely, psychological and confidence marks. The 23rd place with only 15 points was a forced “exit through the small door” for Espargaró, after a career in which he stood out especially with KTM – being a key element of the project from very early on.
Pol Espargaró’s 2023 season:
Portugal GP: Retired after practice due to injury – Not classified in the championship
Argentina GP to Dutch GP: Did not participate due to injury – Not classified in the championship
Great Britain GP: 16th in the Sprint/12th in the GP – 28th in the championship
Austria GP: 6th in the Sprint/16th in the GP – 24th in the championship
Catalunya GP: Abandoned in the Sprint and in the GP – 24th in the championship
San Marino GP: 16th in the Sprint/Abandoned in the GP – 24th in the championship
India GP: Abandoned in the Sprint/13th in the GP – 23rd in the championship
Japan GP: 11th in the Sprint/15th in the GP – 23rd in the championship
Indonesia GP: 17th in the Sprint/Abandoned in the GP – 23rd in the championship
Australia GP: 18th in the GP (no Sprint) – 23rd in the championship
Thailand GP: 16th in the Sprint/18th in the GP – 23rd in the championship
Malaysia GP: 15th in the Sprint/15th in the GP – 23rd in the championship
Qatar GP: 16th in the Sprint/18th in the GP – 23rd in the championship
Valencia GP: 14th in the Sprint/14th in the GP – 23rd in the championship
