Positive on both sides of the Repsol Honda team box as the 2021 season kicks off with a double score and the first top ten for Espargaro in Qatar.
The wind was blowing through the MotoGP paddock as the premier class arrived at the Losail International Circuit for the first race of the MotoGP World Championship season in 2021. Fortunately, there were no major concerns about the forecasted rapid gusts of wind as the grid formed later in the evening, even though the conditions were cooler than before.
The warm up was a productive session for the Repsol Honda team as both Pol Espargaro and Stefan Bradl did well at the start of the day. In sixth and eighth, the couple helped to finish the 20-minute session with four Honda machines in the top eight.
Pol Espargaro stood for his debut in the legendary colors of the Repsol Honda Team and made an excellent start in the top ten after the first corner. As the race continued and fuel plummeted, Espargaro steadily improved his pace and joined the battle for the top ten midway through the race. Espargaro’s lap times continued to improve towards the end of 22 laps and were in line with the leaders. In his first race for the team, Espargaro scores eight points for eighth place, the highest Honda award, and now most of all, has data on the RC213V worth races. This knowledge will come into play very soon when the championship prepares for the second round in the same location.
Stefan Bradl was pleased with the progress made earlier in the day and took to the grid to fight forward. Bradl used the power of the RC213V to shoot off the line and was immediately able to fight for points from the first round. Due to the German’s brand consistency, he made steady progress in the race and crossed the line in eleventh place, just a second ahead of Bastianini and a top ten result.
The Repsol Honda Team now stays in Qatar and is ready for the second round at the Losail circuit next week.