These feedback got here after Pol Espargaro completed sixth within the dash race on the Austrian Grand Prix in simply his second weekend again in motion following 4 months on the sidelines with critical accidents.
The eight-time MotoGP podium finisher suffered fractures to his jaw and his again after hitting an unprotected tyre barrier in FP2 on the season-opener in Portugal and was solely cleared to experience once more on the British GP earlier this month.
The Tech3 rider took the chequered flag just below half a second adrift from manufacturing facility KTM counterpart Jack Miller in fifth, whereas team-mate Augusto Fernandez was final.
The youthful Espargaro brother famous after the race that he was nonetheless missing energy in his neck muscle tissues after so lengthy out, however Aleix feels given what he did within the Austria dash – and primarily based on his previous successes – that individuals “must be extra affected person” with him.
“Lots of people on this paddock, and this makes me very offended, neglect who Pol is, what he achieved, what he did for this model [KTM],” he mentioned.
“You may have a giant harm [and are out] for one or two months, and [it’s like] it’s important to go dwelling to retire. Now we have to be extra affected person in sport as a result of it’s not simple typically.
“We see different riders who come again after an harm they usually say ‘ah, I’m not good on my again’ for 10 GPs.
“My brother virtually ended up in a [wheel]chair, he was not in a position even to eat or work for a month, and he completed sixth at present within the dash in his second GP again with no expertise of the bike.
“Now we have to be extra affected person, we now have to offer extra credit score that that is essentially the most troublesome class on the earth.”
Pol Espargaro, Tech3 GASGAS Manufacturing facility Racing
Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Espargaro’s future with Tech3 and KTM stays unclear at this stage, regardless of having a two-year deal underneath his belt already.
With Pedro Acosta set to make his MotoGP debut in 2024 and KTM unable to develop its presence on the grid, it’s possible that considered one of both Espargaro or Fernandez – who additionally has a contract for subsequent yr – shall be moved apart.
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer instructed German publication Speedweek that the Tech3 pair shall be pitted in opposition to one another to find out who retains their seat.
For Aleix Espargaro, there isn’t any query as to who deserves to remain: “For me, it’s a sophisticated scenario, however for me it’s clear: Pol has a contract and aside from the contract, with full respect to the opposite riders of KTM and GasGas, nobody is best than Pol.
“So, aside from the contracts, in case you are the boss of the model and you might be on the lookout for the perfect riders, they don’t seem to be higher than Pol. That is my opinion.”