Speaking to motogp.com pitlane reporter Simon Crafar during MotoGP™ P1 at the Gran Premio Michelin® de la República Argentina, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal gave us a very positive update on the injured Pol Espargaro.
The #44 suffered a heavy crash in P2 at the Portuguese GP and has since been in hospital receiving the necessary treatment for his jaw and vertebrae injuries. Speaking in Argentina, Poncharal’s update on the Spaniard was great to hear as we eagerly await Espargaro’s return to MotoGP™ action. In the meantime, starting at the Americas GP, Jonas Folger will be standing in alongside Augusto Fernandez in Poncharal’s squad.
“I have very good news about Pol, he is so full of life and really willing to come back because he was feeling a bit down the past few days being alone in the intensive care room without the possibility of getting out of bed, and when you know him it's painful,” began Poncharal.
“The good news is that this morning he has been transferred to a normal room, he got up and did a few steps and he's feeling good. He sent us, to Pit Beirer and all of us, an incredibly full of dedication message with a lot of heart and saying I'm going to try everything I can do to be there as soon as possible to be there and he is also very happy that Jonas Folger replaces him, because he likes him and he thinks it is the best opportunity.
“Last night we were a bit worried about Pol's morale, but this morning, it is a completely new day and completely new Pol. We don't want to talk about how long he will be out, because riders can surprise us sometimes. Sure it will be a long time and he will miss quite a few races but never say never with a rider, and for sure, the doctors will be surprised to see him coming back earlier than they expected.
Until you are back… Get well soon Pol❤️ pic.twitter.com/6PtmE3KzQu
— Tech3 Racing (@Tech3Racing) March 31, 2023
“He had a nasty fracture on the jaw and this is painful because he can't talk and he has to eat with a straw but it is nothing really serious, it's a painful moment to go through and it won't last long. The main problem is the back. To reassure everyone he will be back moving, running, walking and in a position to ride in MotoGP again, but it takes time to heal the vertebrae. So the vertebrae have been fractured, he's in a corset at the moment, he can't move and this is what will take long. This is the worst part of the injury. The rest, I would say no drama.”