Pol Espargaro must do better and 'use full potential' - KTM boss
KTM motorsport boss Pit Beirer says rider Pol Espargaro is "not using his full potential" in MotoGP and needs to approach races differently


Espargaro broke his collarbone when he crashed out of the warm-up session ahead of the Czech Grand Prix, admitting he initially could not feel his arms or legs.
He joined KTM for its first season in MotoGP alongside Bradley Smith, with Espargaro's form enough for Smith to be dropped in favour of Johann Zarco at the end of the year.
But Smith has since become increasingly a match for his team-mate, outqualifying him in three of the four weekends leading up to Espargaro's injury at Brno.
Speaking at the Red Bull Ring, Beirer said he was "unhappy with Espargaro" and that he needs to regain form.
"I think with Pol, especially lately, we saw him doing some things where I am not 100% happy," Beirer said. "And we need to talk about it.
"I really see that he is absolutely not using his full potential.
"If a rider just doesn't have more talent and he cannot go faster, we will never tell him 'go faster' because he will crash or something.
"But I think in the surrounding and preparation of the race, Pol can do better, and he needs to do better, because [if he stays] like this he will always hit the roof at the same level."
Espargaro's crash left KTM scrambling to find a replacement in case he isn't fit for Silverstone, and Beirer explained the cause of his rider's injury.
"We have a really quite intense discussion with him because he was six seconds slower the lap before, engine temperature dropped by 15 degrees, and then he went around the finish line and wanted to make a fast lap.
"I think he used the same braking point as normal, but things didn't work as normal.
"Then he braked too hard, he released everything, and then he was already on the way to the fence. He had a really hard crash.
"I think it was really a pure mistake to let the bike cool down and then go on a flying lap out of this.
"That's something he needs to be very careful of in the future. Because he did some things like that before and we warned him, but this time we paid a high price for doing this."

Epsargaro is the 2013 Moto2 champion but has yet to turn consistent points-scoring finishes into a breakthrough result, and Bierer points to future team-mate Zarco, pictured above, as someone to learn from.
"I'm sure Pol could be a really really top rider, but [he has to] prepare differently. If you hear how Johann is preparing and how much he is training for this, I think this can be really beneficial.
"On the other side, how talented Pol can use the bike and do some corners is just completely crazy, that could help also Johann's side.
"We hope it will lift the team from both sides."

Retiring Honda rider Dani Pedrosa can't explain 2018 MotoGP form
Aprilia MotoGP team 'still suffering consequences' of Lowes deal

Latest news
MotoGP riders praise new Red Bull Ring chicane
The new chicane at Red Bull Ring’s Turn 2 has been met with widespread praise from MotoGP riders following its debut in Friday practice for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Quartararo slams "totally stupid" MotoGP sprint race plans
Reigning MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo says the series' plans to have sprint races in 2023 are "totally stupid" and claims he was never told about them.
MotoGP Austrian GP: Zarco leads FP2 as Ducatis dominate
Pramac’s Johann Zarco ended second practice for the MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix fastest of all by just 0.024 seconds from factory Ducati rider Jack Miller.
Espargaro joins rebranded GasGas Tech3 KTM MotoGP squad in 2023
Eight-time MotoGP podium finisher Pol Espargaro will officially return to KTM and Tech3 next season after signing a two-year deal, paving the way for Joan Mir to join Honda.
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former team-mate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider
Why Marquez’s toughest MotoGP foe is stopping at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy
Why a Suzuki refugee feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Autosport - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about
The revolution behind Aprilia's rise from MotoGP tail-ender to pack-leader
Coinciding with the arrival of Massimo Rivola as head of its MotoGP division, Aprilia has undergone an internal revolution that has spurred it from occupying last place in the team standings to leading the table in the space of just two years. Those entrenched in the project reveal how the ex-Ferrari F1 chief has achieved the dramatic turnaround
The battle Yamaha's wayward son is fighting to be fast again in MotoGP
Franco Morbidelli was long overdue a promotion to factory machinery when it finally came late last year, having finished runner-up in the 2020 standings on an old Yamaha package. But since then the Italian has been a shadow of his former self as he toils to adapt to the 2022 M1, and recognises that he needs to change his style to be quick on it
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special