These comments came after Pol Espargaro finished sixth in the sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix in just his second weekend back in action following four months on the sidelines with serious injuries.
The eight-time MotoGP podium finisher suffered fractures to his jaw and his back after hitting an unprotected tyre barrier in FP2 at the season-opener in Portugal, and was only cleared to ride again at the British GP earlier this month.
The Tech3 rider took the chequered flag just under half a second adrift from factory KTM counterpart Jack Miller in fifth, while team-mate Augusto Fernandez was last.
The younger Espargaro brother noted after the race that he was still lacking power in his neck muscles after so long out, but Aleix feels given what he did in the Austria sprint – and based on his past successes – that people “have to be more patient” with him.
“A lot of people in this paddock, and this makes me very angry, forget who Pol is, what he achieved, what he did for this brand [KTM],” he said.
“You have a big injury [and are out] for one or two months, and [it’s like] you have to go home to retire. We have to be more patient in sport because it’s not easy sometimes.
“We see other riders who come back after an injury and they say ‘ah, I’m not perfect on my back’ for 10 GPs.
“My brother almost ended up in a [wheel]chair, he was not able even to eat or work for a month, and he finished sixth today in the sprint in his second GP back with no experience of the bike.
“We have to be more patient, we have to give more credit that this is the most difficult class in the world.”
Espargaro’s future with Tech3 and KTM remains unclear at this stage, despite having a two-year deal under his belt already.
With Pedro Acosta set to make his MotoGP debut in 2024 and KTM unable to expand its presence on the grid, it is likely one of either Espargaro or Fernandez – who also has a contract for next year – will be moved aside.
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer told German publication Speedweek that the Tech3 pair will be pitted against each other to determine who retains their seat.
For Aleix Espargaro, there is no question as to who deserves to stay: “For me, it’s a complicated situation, but for me it’s clear: Pol has a contract and apart from the contract, with full respect to the other riders of KTM and GasGas, no one is better than Pol.
“So, apart from the contracts, if you are the boss of the brand and you are looking for the best riders, they are not better than Pol. This is my opinion.”
