Repsol Honda Team look to Monday test after disastrous Sunday
Zero points after promising starts for both Pol Espargaro and Stefan Bradl, a grueling weekend over as attention turns to the test.
Unrelenting and oppressive conditions continued to hammer the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from early in the day. As the MotoGP World Championship lined up on the grid for the 24-lap race, it was clear it would be a race of survival.
In front of his home fans, Pol Espargaro shot off the line as he worked to stay with the leading group and ran as high as fourth. But after these early laps Espargaro’s race would become a nightmare as he steadily dropped back through the field. Crossing the line in 17th, Espargaro suffered throughout the race from a lack of grip compared to the previous day, which is being investigated by Michelin and Honda.
Stefan Bradl’s race came to a premature end after a strong start. The German fell at Turn 10 on the first lap after fighting his way into the points. Sustaining no major injuries, the HRC Test Rider is looking forward to a night of rest and recovery before Monday’s test.
Both riders will be out on Monday to continue working on the evolution of the Honda RC213V.
Pol Espargaro
“Today we had a lack of grip compared to the previous sessions unfortunately. It’s really disappointing because I made a great start and was up there with the leading group. Tomorrow we have an important test and I think it will be very busy for me. Let’s prepare properly for the second part of the season. I hope Taka is OK, it was a big crash right in front of me.”
Stefan Bradl
"An unfortunate end to the weekend. I made a really good start and was riding well, making up positions. We were battling near the points when the rear started to slide at Turn 10 and I fell. It was quite a big impact, I am a bit sore but it is nothing major. It’s really a shame because we could have been fighting for points today. Now I get ready for the test on Monday."
Gran Premi de Catalunya Race Results
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quartararo Fabio | 20 | FRA | 25 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 40'29.360 |
| 2 | Martin Jorge | 89 | SPA | 20 | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 6.473 |
| 3 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | 16 | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 8.385 |
| 4 | Mir Joan | 36 | SPA | 13 | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki | 11.481 |
| 5 | Espargaro Aleix | 41 | SPA | 11 | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 14.395 |
| 6 | Marini Luca | 10 | ITA | 10 | Mooney VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 15.430 |
| 7 | Vinales Maverick | 12 | SPA | 9 | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 15.975 |
| 8 | Binder Brad | 33 | RSA | 8 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 21.436 |
| 9 | Oliveira Miguel | 88 | POR | 7 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 26.800 |
| 10 | Marquez Alex | 73 | SPA | 6 | LCR Honda | Honda | 30.460 |
| 11 | Gardner Remy | AUS | 5 | 32.443 | |||
| 12 | Binder Darryn | 40 | RSA | 4 | WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team | Yamaha | 32.881 |
| 13 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | 3 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 33.168 |
| 14 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | 2 | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 34.693 |
| 15 | Fernandez Raul | SPA | 1 | 37.844 | |||
| 16 | Pirro Michele | ITA | 0 | 44.533 | |||
| 17 | Espargaro Pol | 44 | SPA | 0 | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 46.199 |
| 18 | Dovizioso Andrea | 4 | ITA | DNF | WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team | Yamaha | DNF |
| 19 | Di Giannantonio Fabio | 49 | ITA | DNF | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | DNF |
| 20 | Bastianini Enea | 23 | ITA | DNF | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | DNF |
| 21 | Bezzecchi Marco | 73 | ITA | DNF | Mooney VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | DNF |
| 22 | Bagnaia Francesco | 62 | ITA | DNF | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | DNF |
| 23 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | DNF | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki | DNF |
| 24 | Nakagami Takaaki | 30 | JPN | DNF | LCR Honda | Honda | DNF |
| 25 | Bradl Stefan | 6 | GER | DNF | HRC Test Team | Honda | DNF |
Location Information
In 1989, through the joint collaboration of the Catalan Autonomous Government, the Montmeló Town Council and the Royal Automobile Club of Catalunya (RACC), work began on giving one of Europe’s most beautiful cities a state of the art race track to match. The Circuit de Catalunya opened on the doorstep… read more.
| Length | 4.627 kilometres / 2.875 miles |
| Width | 12 metres |
| Left corners | 5 |
| Right corners | 8 |
| Longest straight | 1.047 kilometres / 0.651 miles |
| Constructed | 1991 |
| Modified | 2018 |
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló, Catalunya, Spain - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m38.639s (169.9km/h) Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2023) |
| Race Lap | 1m39.939 (167.7km/h) Johann Zarco (Ducati, 2021) |
| Race Time | 40'21.749 (166.1km/h) Miguel Oliveira (KTM, 2021) |
| 2023 Sprint Winner | Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) |
| 2023 Race Winner | Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) |
