Pol Espargaro will be left off the MotoGP grid in 2024, but he is still committed to finishing the 2023 season with good results. On the first day of practice in Australia, the #44 even managed to get a place in the top 5, qualifying directly for Q2.
In a debrief after finishing the first day of the GP, Pol Espargaro said he was happy with his pace, stating that he was enjoying his GasGas and showing that he agreed with the change in schedules:
– It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t bad. Honestly this morning I struggled a bit with the medium rear tyre, but when we put on the soft rear, it was really good. The bike is working well, I feel good riding the bike and I got a good time behind Brad (Binder), and he’s riding on another level, so I’m very happy. I’m enjoying every lap of this circuit. (…) But at the moment I feel like I can perform well, regardless of whether it’s the long race or the sprint, but looking at the weather conditions, it’s better to have the race tomorrow and not on Sunday.
The GasGas rider also said that the risks for Sundays are not only related to the wind, but to the combination of factors, stating that, in his opinion, the huge downforce can even be a help in these conditions and not harmful:
– I think it’s a combination. Cold, plus the wind, plus the rain. If we had a lot of wind, which I think are the worst conditions you can have on a MotoGP bike. The wind is very annoying, also in Moto2 and Moto3. But if you then add it to very cold conditions, it’s very bad, even if it’s dry. So if you put water in it… it gets risky. (…) In fact, it’s the other way around. Maybe you see a little less or so, but the bike is more stable with the wings, I think it’s better, especially with the front, it’s more glued to the ground.