Aleix Espargaro says making his wildcard debut for Honda MotoGP at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix is “a big responsibility.”
The three-time race winner joined the Japanese marque as a test rider after announcing his retirement from full-time racing in 2024.
Honda believes the Spaniard’s expertise will aid its bid to regain competitiveness, having helped transform Aprilia from backmarkers to Grand Prix winners during his eight-year stint with the team.
The 35-year-old will represent Honda colours at his home outing in Jerez, but admitted that he feels apprehensive about the upcoming weekend due to the brand’s massive image.
“[I’m] very happy,” Espargaro told MotoGP.com.
“I feel a bit strange; yesterday when I came to the paddock with my family we felt a bit strange, but happy – this is where I grew up so I still feel that it’s my home.
“A bit nervous to have these HRC colours, I feel a big responsibility – even if I’m just the test rider, but this is the biggest team ever in our sport, so I feel really blessed to be able to race with these colours.”
Aleix Espargaro not setting targets to ease the ‘pressure’
The Spaniard has made it clear he isn’t setting any expectations for an ideal finish this weekend, emphasising that it doesn’t align with his current “role.”
Despite having more than 250 MotoGP starts, he spoke about the very different mindset that comes with being a test rider.
“I’m trying not to put a lot of pressure on myself,” he said.
“I lived with the pressure during 20 seasons, but it’s not my role anymore.
“Obviously, being a part of HRC and being in the MotoGP World Championship you have to be focused and you have to give your 100 per cent, but I’m not setting a goal like top-10 or podium or whatever because it would be not real.
“But, from tomorrow, we will see; I will try my best and we’ll see how far we can go.”
Espargaro went on to reveal that he will ride a different bike than full-time factory riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini.
“The bike will be definitely different than Joan’s [Mir] and Luca’s [Marini],” he said.
“Hopefully, during the weekend, we can discover that the bike is a bit more competitive.
“We’ve been working hard and focusing on Joan’s and Luca’s problems and requests for the future, so hopefully we find out that we did one step forward and they can have it in the near future.”
