The 2013 Moto2 World Champion will move from KTM to Honda after four seasons together in 2021 after signing a two-year contract with HRC with partner Marc Marquez.
Marquez’s participation at the start of the 2021 season has been cast into doubt after undergoing a third operation on the arm he broke at the Spanish Grand Prix – on the assumption that it will take at least six months for him to recover to recover.
Assuming the six-time champion is fit for the start of the season, the toughest task of Espargaro’s MotoGP career will be against Marquez.
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Espargaro repeatedly asked questions in 2020 how to get on a notoriously difficult motorcycle alongside the six-time world champion and whether he is afraid of the challenge. He told Motorsport.com that he was going to Honda to prove to himself what he was capable of and not just anyone else.
“It’s the first time someone has asked me this question in this way and the way I’ve always answered it: It’s not about being afraid, it’s about discovering something,” Espargaro said when asked whether it excites him to face Marquez.
“For an athlete, a professional athlete who always wants to improve and always want to be tested, this chapter of my career is an adventure to improve myself and at the same time discover in myself who you are and how fast you are.
“In the past, as I understand it, a lot of people underestimated me because we didn’t get good results with the KTM, because the KTM was weak, because it was the beginning of a project.
“But I really want to see myself and I want to see people see each other on a different bike, which would mean I could be in the top six [Tech 3] Yamaha, then I can be in the top five in the championship with the KTM and then I want to do the same with the Honda.
“This will show me that I’m not a bad driver and actually it’s not really about showing someone what I can do, it’s just showing myself, proving to myself if I’m capable of the Level of being the best driver in the world. “
Espargaro ended his final season fifth in the KTM overall standings after finishing five podiums over the course of the 2020 season.