Pol Espargaro is predicting a fierce battle over the podium positions throughout the 2015 MotoGP season due to the depth of this year’s field. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider is still chasing his maiden rostrum finish in the premier class, something he is keen to change this season, but with the improvement of Ducati and the return of Suzuki, the Spaniard knows he will face stiff competition.
“It’s finally time to get the wheels in motion for 2015 and I am very excited to contest in the first race. We have had a positive pre-season and the bike is at a level that I am happy with, but of course it will be a challenging race and this year, I am under no illusions that it will be easy to finish close to the front. There will be a lot more riders who can fight for podiums and top positions when compared to the previous years. Having said that, I will do nothing but my best. The team did a great job over the winter so now it’s up to me and I am ready. Qatar is always special as it’s the only night race, which is really interesting and different for the MotoGP riders. I look forward to getting back on the Yamaha YZR-M1 and then giving my all to seize a good result which will set me up confidently for the next GP’s.”
Team Principal Herve Poncharal was impressed with Espargaro’s rookie MotoGP campaign in 2014 and expects him to pick up where he left off last term.
“The MotoGP show is back on the road this weekend at the exciting season opener in Qatar after the long break from Valencia. It’s great to be back racing and the team as well as the riders have all had a good time over the winter getting prepared. Of course, this season will be more of a challenge with the field now being very competitive but Pol and Bradley (Smith) are fired up and will no doubt, give their absolute best at Qatar as well as the other races. Pol impressed us last campaign with his ‘never give up’ attitude plus his tireless efforts and the icing on the cake was finishing as the top satellite rider. We expect him to start his year strongly here and continue his work from last season.”
