Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal says he wants to retain Malaysian rookie Hafizh Syahrin for the 2018 MotoGP season after he impressed during the test in Thailand.
Poncharal was left seeking a second rider after Jonas Folger was forced to sit out the season to recover from Gilbert Syndrome, the illness which kept the German sidelined for the final four races of 2017.
Syahrin emerged as favourite to take the vacant satellite Yamaha following the Sepang test – at which Tech3 fielded ex-Aspar rider Yonny Hernandez – after parting ways with the Petronas Sprinta Moto2 team; though was only confirmed for the Thailand test.
Poncharal is keen to hold onto the triple Moto2 podium finisher after proving to be a “perfect fit” for Tech3, though admits he still has to “convince” his partners Syahrin is the right choice to replace Folger.
“I want to keep him for the 2018 season, but I have to first convince all my partners,” the Tech3 boss said.
“Right now there's nothing decided, but I won't hide the fact that I'd be very disappointed if we can't come to and agreement.
“I think we've found a rider who is the perfect fit for what we're looking for. After the unfortunate and late withdrawal of Jonas Folger, it's the best solution we have.”
Syahrin ended the Thailand test 22nd overall and just 1.756s from pacesetter Dani Pedrosa on the factory Honda.
His performance across the three days of running at Buriram left Poncharal “amazed”, and feels the Malaysian will be capable of even stronger showings once he has had some more time on the M1.
“There was pressure on Hafizh's shoulders in Buriram; no Malaysia had ever ridden in MotoGP,” Poncheral added.
“He also had a bit of a handicap compared to other rookies like Takaaki [Nakagami], Franco [Morbidelli], Tom [Luthi] or Xavier [Simeon], who already had a few kilometers on the clock [on MotoGP machinery].
“He had to perform, without crashing, and in these conditions it's easy to make a mistake. He has done a great job, he progressed every day and he finished only 1.7s from the best laptime, knowing that he's far from having reached his full potential.
“I am really amazed. In addition, he's someone who is super humble off track, super nice. I always consider Monster Yamaha Tech3 to be a junior team, and Hafizh also sticks to that profile.”
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