The Aprilia rider had broken the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya lap record during third practice on Saturday morning, only to go even faster during qualifying with a 1m38.742s to take pole position by 0.031s from Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia.
The home hero, who won from pole position earlier this year in Argentina, had hoped a slower lap with less risk would’ve been enough for top spot but after seeing Bagnaia dip into the 1m38s he upped the ante to claim pole and another new lap record.
As a result Espargaro feared he was on the limit in qualifying, which was demonstrated when he ran off-track at Turn 10 during his final flying lap, only to hold on to pole when his rivals couldn’t better his time.
“It has been the most difficult lap of all season so far, the conditions were super, super tricky,” Espargaro said in parc ferme immediately after qualifying.
“I was talking with the team and I was not sure whether to go under the 1m39s, so then with the first time attack I saw many riders into the 1m39.0s, so I had to go 1m38s if I wanted the pole position so it was all or nothing.
“I did an absolutely crazy lap, sliding everywhere and actually, I didn’t enjoy the lap, I was on the limit at every single corner and when I activated the rear rideheight device on the last straight I said, ‘you closed the lap, you are a lucky man’.
“So when I saw P1 I was even more happy. Let’s see if this can give me an advantage for tomorrow’s race.”
Reflecting on qualifying in the press conference, Espargaro added: “I lost the front a couple of times and almost had a couple of highsides but I was riding on the limit of the bike.
“But the last two corners I did very, very fast, so I was very happy to close the lap and not crash. That was already a victory, so when I saw P1 I was very happy.”
Espargaro remains strong favourite for victory in Barcelona having demonstrated impressive race pace in practice, topping three of the four sessions before qualifying, thanks to the Aprilia’s ability to find mechanical grip in the hot and slippery conditions.
The Spaniard is also confident that he’s found a better set-up through his electronics during final practice, but is wary of finding a “balance” between outright pace and overusing his rear tyre too early in the race.
“Normally, 90% of the races are won by the fastest rider but here in Barcelona it is not that easy, it is not about going fast, I can go very, very fast but you also have to manage the rear tyre,” Espargaro said.
“It is a bit frustrating because there is a certain moment when you cannot do anything, there is nothing you can do, just accelerate and wait for the bike to go, because the bike and the traction control is stopping you a lot.
“In FP4 I tried different electronic settings to see if I lost a lot of time or not by saving tyre and we are quite happy with the results. The pace I did is quite strong so tomorrow is going to be a balance to find this thin line between the speed and the consumption of the rear tyre.”
