Pol Espargaro says Friday practice for the MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix was the first time that in 2021 I “enjoyed being fast on every lap” with the Honda.
Espargaro had a difficult first season on the Honda in 2021, not because he only had five days of pre-season testing before the campaign begins to try to adapt to the KTM bike he got from 2017 drove until 2020.
All Honda drivers struggled with a lack of grip on the rear wheel of the 2021 RC213V, which this year also caused problems when entering corners on most tracks.
One area Espargaro suffered from was edge grip in long, fast corners that are common on the fast 2.82 mile course at Assen. Espargaro, however, had one of his best days on the Honda all season after finishing second overall and just 0.111 seconds behind Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales on Friday.
Espargaro credits his form improvement on the grippy new tarmac in Assen and a bike setup change made during the Barcelona test – but admits that Honda has yet to work on really solving its edge grip problem.
“To say solved is so much,” said Espargaro when he thought his edge grip problem was gone. “I think we need major changes to the motorcycle. Maybe the new chassis, the Marc [Marquez] used, it will improve a lot more.
“I also think the move in Barcelona changed the edge grip a bit, something I was looking for. And even if there are long curves [at Assen], the asphalt is new and the grip is better.
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Pol Espargaro, Repsol Honda Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“That helps me a lot with edge grip, which I always ask for in order to ride the bike the way I need it. It was also important to go to the Sachsenring after Barcelona, but also to a place like Holland because it is more like Barcelona.
“So it was good to confirm that what we tried in Barcelona worked and I flew this morning. I enjoyed riding the motorcycle. I think it’s the first time I’ve enjoyed going fast and with good pace on every lap.
“When I pushed I got it, so it felt good.”
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Espargaro said after finishing 10th in Germany while Marquez won that he would copy his teammate’s setup in the future to better understand where he is losing in comparison.
That remained the plan for Friday in Assen, but Espargaro started on his Germany bike and continued with it in FP2 when he was feeling good.
His intention was also to try out the new chassis Honda brought to Assen – which Marquez heaped praise on – but the rain in FP2 meant he couldn’t walk on it.