Pol Espargaro has been signed on to join Marc Marquez at the Repsol Honda MotoGP team, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) has confirmed. The Spanish rider has signed a two-year deal with the factory team and makes his switch from KTM. Espargaro replaces Alex Marquez at Honda who was previously signed on but has now been moved to the LCR Honda satellite team for next year through 2022. Alex though will go on to make his premier-class debut with Honda this weekend. KTM had announced Espargaro's exit at the end of this season last month, fuelling speculations that the rider was heading for Honda.
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Alex Marquez was signed on to replace Jorge Lorenzo this year with the latter announcing his retirement at the end of the 2019 season
Speaking on the switch from Repsol Honda to LCR, Alex Marquez said, "I am very proud to announce my renewal with Honda Racing Corporation. HRC gave me the opportunity to arrive in MotoGP and I am glad to join the LCR Honda Team at the end of 2020 and compete in a big team with great experience in MotoGP. I want to thank HRC and the LCR Honda Team for their trust in me to be able to continue in the Honda family and I will work hard to prove their confidence with results. Now, I am eager to start the season in Jerez and I am completely focused to give my best this year."
Alex Marquez is the reigning Moto2 champion and was announced to replace the now-retired Jorge Lorenzo this season after a brilliant Moto2 campaign last year. He will make his MotoGP debut though this season before moving to LCR to replace Cal Crutchlow. Meanwhile, Espargaro has found a brilliant platform to showcase his talent with the Japanese team. The rider had a promising run with KTM last year after a top-six finish at Le Mans followed by a front-row start at Misano. Both were key incidents in helping Repsol Honda bring the rider onboard alongside Marquez senior.
Cal Crutchlow now has limited options in MotoGP with only Ducati and Aprilia yet to announce their rider line-up for 2021
The shuffle though does leave Crutchlow out of a seat for 2021. The British rider is yet to confirm his next move but has maintained that 2020 will not be the "end of his story in MotoGP." Crutchlow has been the only other rider on the Honda RC213V to secure wins and podium finishes apart from Marc Marquez. The three-time MotoGP joined Honda in 2015 and was signed directly by HRC in 2018. Options though are limited with only Ducati and Aprilia yet to announce their rider line-up for next season. If Ducati's talks with Andrea Dovizioso do not pan out, the team could bring back Crutchlow who previously raced with the Italian factory team between 2013-14.
A lot of fans and critics have found it unfair that Alex Marquez was demoted to the satellite team even before his rookie campaign. However, Honda has been insistent that that move has been in the best interests of the rider. Alberto Puig, Repsol Honda team manager was recently quoted saying the switch will help ease the pressure off Alex.
He said, "We were aware that for a rookie, depending on what your career has been like, Repsol Honda is sometimes not the best place to start, in the sense that you have a lot of pressure and you have to get results from day one. Racing alongside a person like Marc Marquez, whether he is your brother or not, is difficult for anyone."
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MotoGP returns for 2020 with the Jerez GP this weekend
The switch to the satellite team is expected to help Alex grow into his own form and riding style, independent of his brother and the team. It can be overwhelming for any rookie rider to find his space on a high-voltage team like Honda, under the shadows of an eight-time world champion. It will only be in the next couple of months that we will see if Honda's decision was right or not.
For now, MotoGP is back this weekend as the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic subsides in Europe. The action begins with the Jerez GP in Spain on July 19, 2020. The riders are already at the Jerez circuit for the Jerez test ahead of the race this weekend, reacclimatise themselves with their machines for the upcoming season.
