Pol Espargaro injury update - “a very long recovery process”
Aprilia rider Aleix visited his brother in hospital in Barcelona to check on the injuries he sustained after a crash last Friday at the Portuguese MotoGP, the first of a series of incidents on the opening weekend.
Four riders will miss the second round - the Argentina MotoGP this weekend - due to injury, but Pol is not expected back anytime soon.
Aleix revealed that he will require an operation “because of the jaw issue”, and added: “He also has injuries to his back, ribs and others.
“He will have a very long recovery process. The most important thing is that he can recover.
“He wants to get on the bike tomorrow, but that can't happen.
“The important thing, being young, is that he recovers well from the issue of his back because it is a complicated injury.
“IIt seemed that it would be all a little less but he is in a lot of pain.
“We will have to be patient and it will be a long process. He is fine, more animated than on other days. I leave calmer and happier.”
Marc Marquez, Miguel Oliveira and Enea Bastianini will also miss the second round of the championship through injuries sustained on a chaotic weekend.
Bastianini broke a shoulder blade in the first-ever sprint race after being knocked down by Luca Marini, while Marquez clattered into Oliveira during Sunday’s race causing injuries to them both. Jorge Martin escaped from contact with Marquez with only minor physical knocks.
Aleix raged against Marquez, claiming he warranted a one-race ban rather than the double long lap penalty that he has received, and also claimed that every rider must reduce their aggression in Argentina.
“Changes have to be made at the security level,” he said.
“The circuits are getting smaller because of or thanks to aerodynamics, as we go faster in the corners. That means that on the small straights we reach 300km/h immediately and it makes the escape routes fall short. That added to the sprint makes there are many injuries.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
