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After Dani Pedrosa's spot appearance in that of Jerez de La Frontera, KTM called the other test rider Pol Espargaro to do development work from the real and not in an aseptic context as a private test can be. After several months away from the group, the Iberian finished 15th in the morning session and 18th in the afternoon session, not even too far behind the brand's factory riders Miller and Binder.
"The bike is fine, but I have to admit that it was one of the most stressful days of my racing career, having been missing from racing for quite some time now. Coming back to it here at Mugello was crazy, but fun at the same time. The chrono was not bad, I am in fact one second behind Bagnaia, so the feelings are positive," he said in the heat.
Picking up the pace after a long absence is not easy. "It was hard to deal with the fast corners where you need to have a great support angle. The others know when to engage the traction control and go easy, I'm more hesitant, also not knowing well the behavior of the soft tire, never tried even in testing, created a bit of difficulty for me. Let's say that I was no longer used to having so much grip at the rear having always ridden on medium this last period," he revealed, " Am I riding the same bike as Daniel? Yes we wanted to try those solutions on a different track from the Iberian one. It was useful for us to check the response on the long straights, with curves, climbs and descents. Overall the feedback was good."
Speaking about the asphalt conditions, the 32-year-old revealed, "They were good, in the morning they were a bit more treacherous, as indeed was the medium compound, but then the situation improved. In general with the changes brought, starting with the front fender the bike seems to give a good feedback. In general one element alone does not make the result, but the combination of all. How do I feel physically? I ' m fine, compared to the past I didn't prepare much on the cardio level, so I suffered a little, but in 2023 I felt much worse and I realized it when I stopped."
Inevitable question about the market. "I competed for about 10 years in the top class and I know there is always talk. There are times when you are given up for lost and in the next GP you are with the best. Anyway if you know, let me know," he joked about his position as a rookie journalist, himself attentive to news from the paddock.
In an effort to mark time, the Granollers rider pulled into Quartararo's slipstream. "It was my decision. I didn't want to bother my colleagues in KTM, so I chose the Yamaha's slipstream. I needed speed and that was the only way, but when he put on the turbo in T2 it was impossible for me to stay glued to him," he commented.
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