Breaking news
MotoGP Austrian GP
“Super pumped" Espargaro says FP4 crash ruined pole shot
Pol Espargaro says his crash in fourth practice for the MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix was because he was “super pumped” about his pace at the Red Bull Ring.
Lewis Duncan
Edited: Aug 16, 2020, 10:12 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The KTM rider came into FP4 fastest on the combined times and led the way in the final 30-minute practice ahead of qualifying having focused on his race pace.
A crash in the closing seven minutes at the Turn 9 Rindt right-hander wrecked his number one bike, leaving him with just one RC16 for the Q2 session. Espargaro missed pole by just 0.162 seconds and will start KTM’s home grand prix from fifth on the grid, though feels “ready to fight”.
“It was a good day, overall it was amazing,” said Espargaro. “In FP4 we by far did the best rhythm of the grid and that is super important for tomorrow. But unluckily… I would not say made a mistake, but I was super pumped on the bike, riding in a very good rhythm, I was just going faster and faster and faster. And that lap [when I crashed] I was coming even faster, but maybe too fast and I crashed.
“This for sure doesn’t help for qualifying. We missed the pole position by 0.160s, so imagine how tight it is without the crash, using the second bike – the one I was not used to riding. It was a good day for sure, we always deserve more. Also, in the last lap I was on a good lap to be on the front row, but I did some mistakes.
“When you are pushing it can happen. No complaints, we are happy, P5, second row for tomorrow and ready to fight.”
Read Also:
- Espargaro hopes "stupid" Petrucci is fined for Austria outburst
- Rossi "surprised" about Dovizioso’s Ducati exit
- Dovizioso has no "Plan B" after Ducati MotoGP exit
Espargaro’s race run in FP4 consisted of 14 flying laps – 12 of which he circulated the Red Bull Ring comfortably in the mid 1m24s bracket on the medium rear tyre.
Expanding on his Saturday, Espargaro believes without the FP4 crash ‘taking some confidence’ away from him he would have been on pole – but insists it was more important to show his potential on the KTM for Sunday’s race.
“Yeah, for sure I think if I didn’t crash the pole position might have been possible,” he added. “The crash took some confidence out and then I needed to use the second bike because the first one was destroyed, and normally I feel a little bit of difference. The pole position was just 0.160s away, so we are talking about nothing.
“Every single point counts and I did that mistake in FP4, but anyway for me it was more important for me to build up my confidence on the race pace and show that tomorrow it’s possible to fight for something.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Yamaha riders deny engines have been turned down
Next article MotoGP on TV today – How can I watch the Austrian Grand Prix?
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Lewis Duncan
MotoGP 2025: Full rider line-up revealed
MotoGP
MotoGP
MotoGP 2025: Full rider line-up revealed
A year on from Marquez’s Germany MotoGP meltdown, has Honda improved?
MotoGP
MotoGP
German GP
A year on from Marquez’s Germany MotoGP meltdown, has Honda improved?
What’s behind MotoGP’s right-hander chaos in Germany practice?
MotoGP
MotoGP
German GP
What’s behind MotoGP’s right-hander chaos in Germany practice?
More from
Pol Espargaro
Pedro Acosta backed to win KTM’s home MotoGP race - “if there’s a place, it’s here”
MotoGP
MotoGP
Austrian GP
Pedro Acosta backed to win KTM’s home MotoGP race - “if there’s a place, it’s here”
Tech3 confirms Pol Espargaro for Austrian GP as Vinales' replacement
MotoGP
MotoGP
Austrian GP
Tech3 confirms Pol Espargaro for Austrian GP as Vinales' replacement
Pol Espargaro warns 'MotoGP riders not aware of the change coming with 2027 tyres'
MotoGP
MotoGP
Pol Espargaro warns 'MotoGP riders not aware of the change coming with 2027 tyres'
More from
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Pedro Acosta signs Monster as personal sponsor
MotoGP
MotoGP
Qatar GP
Pedro Acosta signs Monster as personal sponsor
Alex Marquez undergoes surgery on his right shoulder and begins recovery at home
MotoGP
MotoGP
Qatar GP
Alex Marquez undergoes surgery on his right shoulder and begins recovery at home
Latest news
NASCAR confirms new qualifying rainout policy, mulls other 2027 changes
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
13 min
NASCAR confirms new qualifying rainout policy, mulls other 2027 changes
"Unacceptable downshifts" – Max Verstappen explains what's behind a recurring F1 radio complaint
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
36 min
"Unacceptable downshifts" – Max Verstappen explains what's behind a recurring F1 radio complaint
MotoGP Qatar GP: Fabio Di Giannantonio fastest in Practice; Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez make the cut
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
37 min
MotoGP Qatar GP: Fabio Di Giannantonio fastest in Practice; Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez make the cut
Colton Herta qualifies for F1 superlicence as Valtteri Bottas remains bullish on 2027 seat
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 h
Colton Herta qualifies for F1 superlicence as Valtteri Bottas remains bullish on 2027 seat
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.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.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe