The big announcement today in MotoGP was that Pol Espargaró would not continue to race full-time in MotoGP to make way for Pedro Acosta at GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, but what was said to be a “joint decision,” apparently… was not. The rider contradicted his team and clarified that he believes he still has what it takes to be at the highest level.
After the news, Pol Espargaró took to social media to make a statement about his future and give his version of what happened: ‘Hello everyone, as you know I’m not a fan of social media, but as I’m receiving many messages of encouragement/support regarding the Pierer Mobility Group news about our future, I wanted to clarify some things: First of all, thank you very much for all the messages, nevertheless, I want to tell you that it was not a unilateral decision, on the contrary!’
The pilot later said that he believes he still has enough capacity to race at the highest level, but that he was somehow “pushed” into this situation in order to make room for Pedro Acosta, as the group has been having some issues resolving this situation:
– It is true that I would have liked to continue racing full time in MotoGP because I think I still have the speed to be among the best, but the truth is that the step aside I will take next year, joining the test team and doing several wildcards, is the result of an understanding between the two parties, taking into account the contractual problems that the group is currently facing and thinking about a long-term collaboration to make Pierer Mobility Group the reference in the MotoGP World Championship!
He added, focused on what is left to play in 2023: ‘There are still many races left this year and also in the future, and as I am one of those who believe that unity is strength, we will stay united to achieve a memorable end of the season!’
It is important to highlight the fact that KTM/GASGAS initially tried to add another bike to the grid for 2024, which would have opened up space for two more riders in the competition, a desire that Dorna denied the Austrian manufacturer.
At this point, one thing is certain: Pedro Acosta will team up with Augusto Fernández in 2024 and the true truth about how everything happened, well… maybe we will never know…
