The Honda rider could only manage 15th in qualifying on Saturday on the Pink Bull Ring, ending up over two tenths adrift of KTM wildcard Dani Pedrosa forward – who hasn’t ridden in a qualifying session since 2018.
Initially happy with how the bike felt on Friday, Espargaro says the standard traction and rear grip points which have dogged him a lot in 2021 returned.
With Sunday’s race set to be rain-hit and some voicing safety concerns about riding in the conditions, Espargaro admits “the more severe it may be, the higher for me” if he’s to salvage something from the Styrian GP weekend.
“If there’s a hurricane, I’m going to go on monitor as a result of now we have seen in dry circumstances we’re not aggressive sufficient,” he mentioned. “So, in moist perhaps we will do one thing else just a little bit higher.
“Hopefully tomorrow a whole lot of rains comes, folks get scared and we will take one thing else from it as a result of as I mentioned we don’t have tempo, our bike is just not working good.
“I took determined options on the qualifying making an attempt to be higher, however clearly as you possibly can see it was not working.
“It’s not working, it’s not good, so tomorrow could be a good factor if there are storms and hurricanes and rain and no matter comes.”
Pol Espargaro, Repsol Honda Workforce
Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Explaining his predominant points across the Pink Bull Ring, Espargaro added: “We do not need traction.
“It’s the identical downside we had once we stopped for the summer season break.
“The sting grip is zero, then once we decide up the bike we spin fully when the bike is straight, we burn the tyre, we don’t cease the bike as a result of there’s locking.
“I’m a man who makes use of the rear brake quite a bit, braking in the midst of the nook to show the bike, I stay with the rear brake and right here I can’t use, I can’t even contact it.
“That is killing my driving fashion and I can’t take something out of my driving fashion which can assist me to make the lap time or to be quick. I’m struggling undoubtedly.”