Aleix Espargaro “nervous” ahead of Honda MotoGP debut: “This is the biggest team ever”

Former MotoGP race winner Aleix Espargaro has admitted to being “nervous” ahead of his first ride as a wildcard for Honda this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Espargaro joined HRC in a test rider role at the end of last year when he retired from full-time racing after spending eight seasons as a factory Aprilia rider, and this weekend’s Spanish MotoGP in Jerez will be the first time the Spanish rider will race the RC213V.

The 35-year-old said that the responsibility that comes with wearing the colours of HRC have left him feeling “a bit nervous” ahead of his race debut for the Japanese brand.

“I’m] very happy,” Espargaro told MotoGP.com on his return to the paddock as a competitor on a Grand Prix weekend at Jerez.

“I feel a bit strange; yesterday when I came to the paddock with my family we felt a bit strange, but happy – this is where I grew up so I still feel that it’s my home.

“A bit nervous to have these HRC colours, I feel a big responsibility – even if I’m just the test rider, but this is the biggest team ever in our sport so I feel really blessed to be able to race with these colours,” he said.

Although nervous, Espargaro said that he is not putting any expectations or pressure on himself this weekend.

“I’m trying not to put a lot of pressure on myself,” he said.

“I lived with the pressure during 20 seasons, but it’s not my role anymore.

“Obviously, being a part of HRC and being in the MotoGP World Championship you have to be focused and you have to give your 100 per cent, but I’m not setting a goal like top-10 or podium or whatever because it would be not real.

“But, from tomorrow, we will see; I will try my best and we’ll see how far we can go.”

Additionally, Espargaro confirmed that he will have a different bike specification compared to HRC’s full-time race riders.

“The bike will be definitely different than Joan’s [Mir] and Luca’s [Marini],” he said.

“Hopefully, during the weekend, we can discover that the bike is a bit more competitive.

“We’ve been working hard and focusing on Joan’s and Luca’s problems and requests for the future, so hopefully we find out that we did one step forward and they can have it in the near future.”