The 2013 Moto2 world champion will join the Honda works squad in 2021 after a four-year stay at KTM from 2017 to 2020. During this time he achieved six podiums.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in traditional postseason testing being canceled in November, Espargaro has not yet ridden the RC213V and will not do so until March in Qatar after the Sepang excursion was canceled in February .
In an interview Honda released after posting the first pictures of him as an HRC rider, Espargaro couldn’t hide his excitement about driving the RC213V for the first time.
“I can already say that I’ll be nervous, super nervous and shaking and I don’t think I’ll sleep the day before,” he said when asked what his first Honda test will look like.
“This is a chapter in my life that I have always imagined.
“I’m really looking forward to the moment when I get on the bike for the first time. I think it’s a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life and that I really want to enjoy.”
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Espargaro will partner with six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez at Honda, though it’s unclear when he’ll be back in action as he continues to recover from arm surgery in December.
Both drivers had a strong rivalry in the lower categories of the world championship. Espargaro admitted that partnering with Marquez was a major motivator in his decision to join Honda.
“To share the team with Marc, I think it was another reason to join the Repsol Honda team,” he added.
“I’ve been fighting with Marc in the smaller categories for many years and I’ve had so much fun that I’ve grown with him by fighting race after race and that makes me the driver I am today.
“When you fight against one of the greatest drivers in the world, you tend to improve much faster.
“The best way to improve is to be next to the man who is the same or even better than you.
“That’s why I moved. I want to see my level compared to Marc, who is definitely one of the best on the grid.”