Espargaro: I don’t need Marquez to show how fast I am in MotoGP
Pol Espargaro says there’s no added pressure with the return of Honda MotoGP team-mate Marc Marquez and says he ‘doesn’t need’ him to show how fast or slow he is.


Six-time MotoGP world champion Marquez returned to action after a nine-month injury layoff last time out in Portugal, qualifying sixth and riding to seventh in the race.
That was the best result for a Honda rider so far in 2021, with Espargaro managing eighth place in the Qatar GP as he continues to adapt to the RC213V after a limited pre-season.
LCR’s Alex Marquez admitted in Portugal that his brother was already showing the other Honda riders the way to ride the bike, while Espargaro noted his return was “important” for the team.
However, he doesn’t feel his own results this season on the Honda will be bound to how well Marquez is doing on the same bike.
“I think when one is fast in the team it puts pressure on all the rest,” Espargaro said when asked if Marquez’s return brought added pressure.
“At the end my pressure does not change because Marc is doing better or worse results.
“I mean, I think the one who is putting pressure on myself is me.
“I’m just pushing myself in every session and I know when I’m fast and when I’m slow.
“I don’t need Marc at my side to say to me or to show to me what I’m doing good or what I’m doing wrong.
“I know when I’m not fast and I know when I can do better.

Pol Espargaro, Repsol Honda Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“For sure there’s going to come days when maybe Marc is going to destroy me, I gave my all and I know I couldn’t give more and I’m going to be happy… kind of happy.
“And then it’s going to be the case that hopefully I’ll be close to Marc, I felt I could do more and I will be angry.
“So, my pressure won’t change with the results of Marc.”
PLUS: What does Marc Marquez have to do to get back to his best?
Espargaro says his struggles at the start of the year after a strong showing in testing are down to the fact the conditions across the Qatar double-header and the Portimao weekend were so changeable that he couldn’t properly work on the bike.
But with MotoGP returning to Jerez for the Spanish GP this weekend, he wants this to mark the point where his season truly begins.
“It’s true that in the pre-season the test has been very good,” he added. “I felt everything perfect in the pre-season – not motorbike wise, but in the track wise.
“We were making so many laps, the track had a lot of rubber [down] and I took the first test to come, but the second test in Qatar was very good, the track was very constant conditions.
“What happened in Qatar [races] was the track was changing a lot with the rubber from Dunlop, plus the hot and the cold.
“So, the changing conditions on track were making me make a lot of mistakes.
“And then we moved to Portimao, FP1 was mixed, then FP2 we start to be fast. We didn’t have a full dry session to match all the sessions and work with the bike.
“So, what I’m missing is a place like Jerez, with constant conditions, constant weather, a place where I know.
“It’s been three races but in two circuits, but these two circuits have been very difficult for me and Honda.
“So, I want to take this race as the beginning of our season and start from here with a very positive and open mind.”
Related video

MotoGP keeps six manufacturers through 2026 as Aprilia signs new deal
Marc Marquez has “no clear target” for Jerez MotoGP round

Latest news
Laser Tools Racing continues in BTCC with Hill
The Laser Tools Racing name that was carried to British Touring Car Championship titles in 2020 and 2021 will continue in the series after all with Jake Hill.
McLaren to share F1 reserve driver Schumacher with Mercedes
Mercedes Formula 1 reserve driver Mick Schumacher will be also made available as a stand-in to McLaren, the Woking team has announced.
NASCAR Next Gen car gets safety upgrades for 2023 season
NASCAR unveiled some changes to the Next Gen car for the 2023 season, with most enhancing its safety aspects.
O’Ward optimistic about Rossi and that McLaren IndyCar DNFs can be reduced
Arrow McLaren ace Pato O’Ward says he’s confident that Alexander Rossi will be a strong addition to the line-up and that the team has gotten on top of its mechanical woes.
The other Suzuki signing that could transform Honda's MotoGP form
Following Suzuki's decision to quit MotoGP, both of its former riders have landed at Honda for 2023. But perhaps its biggest signing from the now-defunct team could instead be a highly-rated technical manager. Is Ken Kawauchi the right man at the right time to steer HRC back to glory?
How the MotoGP paddock has offered refuge to Suzuki's former team
Suzuki's unexpected departure left more than 40 professionals virtually jobless for the 2023 MotoGP season. But that human drama has been successfully corrected by the paddock itself, with most former Suzuki crew-members absorbed into other operations
How one MotoGP team went from title fights to losing it all in four years
The Petronas Sepang Racing Team came into MotoGP with a bang in 2019 as regular front-runners, with wonder rookie Fabio Quartararo mounting a title challenge in 2020. But it all went wrong for the Razlan Razali-helmed squad as the team changed hands and tumbled down the order - and RNF Racing plans to right this in 2023
Is MotoGP's comeback king ready to reclaim his throne?
Marc Marquez’s sixth premier MotoGP title seems a long time ago given the injury woes he has faced in the three years since. At the end of a fraught 2022, in which he had a fourth major operation on his right arm, the Spaniard speaks exclusively to Autosport
How MotoGP’s underachiever is working to reverse its fortunes in 2023
As European manufacturers emerged as the strongest force in 2022 in a changing of the guard for MotoGP, one powerhouse couldn’t quite match the feats of Ducati and Aprilia. Its motorsport chief tells Autosport why this is and what it is doing to become a consistent frontrunner in the class of kings
How MotoGP riders are preparing for the physical stress of sprint races
With the expansion of the calendar to 21 grands prix and the introduction of sprint races, the 2023 MotoGP season will take the riders to almost 1,300 kilometres of competition more than this year, a factor that forces adjustments in their physical preparations.
The Ducati rider who is much more than just the brother of a MotoGP legend
Surname pressure is something many have had to deal with in their motorsport careers. And while Luca Marini doesn’t have that, his familial relation and the team he rides for in MotoGP have cast a brighter spotlight on his progress. But, as he has shown in 2022 – and as he reveals to Autosport – Marini is so much more than just the brother of a legend
Ranking the top 10 riders of MotoGP 2022
The 2022 MotoGP season was another hotly contested championship, with Francesco Bagnaia emerging as the title winner after the campaign went to the wire. Autosport picks out the 10 best performers of the season
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.