KTM test rider Pol Espargaro kept his grand prix top ten streak alive during his third MotoGP appearance of the season, in place of the injured Maverick Vinales, last weekend in Australia.
“Pol Espargaro has done an incredible job so far with us,” said Tech3 team manager Nicolas Goyon, “if there was one, we would give him the award of the fastest test rider this season!”
Technically, Takaaki Nakagami’s sixth place for Honda in the wet at Le Mans is the best ride by a wild-card/replacement in 2025.
However, Espargaro has achieved all his results in the dry and accumulated more points than any other test rider this season.
While Phillip Island is unfamiliar territory, this weekend’s Sepang round is also the venue for pre-season testing.
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“Sepang is a track where I have spent a lot of time, done many laps, so I know the circuit very well,” Espargaro confirmed. “However, the temperatures are so high with a lot of humidity, which makes it very difficult physically.
“Anyway, after our good weekend in Australia, I am looking forward to a new full race weekend with the team, to try helping everyone and gather important information for the factory heading to the off season.”
The Spaniard, whose best Malaysian MotoGP result is sixth for Yamaha in 2014, also highlighted that Aprilia has emerged as the strongest machine in recent events.
“Our package should work well in Malaysia, so let’s see if we can be competitive, and battle against Aprilia, since they have shown excellent form lately,” Espargaro said.
Espargaro finished the Phillip Island Grand Prix one place behind full-time Tech3 rider and 2023 Sepang winner (for Ducati) Enea Bastianini.
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Goyon hopes the testing data can help revive Bastianini’s fortunes, having struggled – coincidentally or not – ever since the departure of crew chief Alberto Giribuola.
“We are expecting an interesting weekend for Enea Bastianini, as it is a track which he enjoys, having won there back in 2023,” Goyon said.
“It is going to be the first time that he races on a track where he already has data with the KTM, so we think it will be a big help for him.
“He is arriving from a solid race in Phillip Island, so hopefully we can keep the momentum going as we hope a comeback close to the top 5.”
Bastianini confirmed: “We are arriving in Malaysia, a track where we have reference from the pre-season with the KTM, which is already a positive.
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“However, many things have changed since February, the bike is quite different, and the way I have adapted to the KTM and how I ride it, is different too.
“We are coming from a positive race in Australia, so I think that we can be competitive this week in Malaysia, and get closer to our rivals.”
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