Espargaro started from 13th on the grid, but couldn’t get much into the top 10 and finished the race 11.7 seconds before victory in 10th place and behind his Honda teammate Marc Marquez.
The Spaniard says he “just felt really bad” at the 25-lap race in Jerez and was dissatisfied with the performance of the RC213V.
“[I was] We just feel really bad, we have no traction, we have no corners and our speed is not good, ”said Espargaro.
“I cannot drive smoothly, my pace is not coming, I drive tight and try to gain more and more brakes.
“But then the brakes released and I drive far, because we’re a mess in the other areas. It is so.”
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Pol Espargaro, Repsol Honda Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Espargaro will have time on Monday during the test after the race at Jerez to understand his problems and I want me to try.
“I’ll work with the package I’m supposed to work on, but there are others [used] different Hondas during the race. “
One of the most notable differences in Honda machines over the Jerez weekend was that of LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami, who rebuilt a 2020 frame to find better rear grip.
Despite admitting the chassis was better in terms of handling in 2021, Nakagami was comfortably at the top of Honda in fourth place in the race with the older frame.
Believing the fact that all Honda riders are using different packages, Espargaro believes that it is causing problems in improving the 2021 bike, stating, “I go on the test and try to do different things.
“Let’s see what I should test, whether we can improve the global situation.
“I think we go too much individually and not as a group. That harms the group at the end and that is not good. “
Espargaro believes that this inequality of direction at Honda is currently exacerbating his own problems with understanding the motorcycle as his “knowledge is zero”.
“The problem I have now, I don’t know whether I’m fine, whether I’m bad, whether it’s the bike or the package that I’m using,” he said.
“Or is it because of my driving style? I don’t know what’s going on and I’m a bit confused because right now it’s the same confusion in the factory, in the package, in the style.
“And I’m new to me, I’m so confusing because I haven’t tried a lot.
“You work so big, but I’m so small right now.
“My knowledge is zero. I feel like they work great, but because my knowledge is zero I can’t help them.
“You can’t help me, and I can’t check anything to help myself. Because we’re not going in one direction. “