Espargaro had signed a two-year deal to return to KTM and Tech3 for the 2023 season following two difficult years at Honda, following his first stint with the Austrian manufacturer from 2017 to 2020, their first signing after arriving in MotoGP.
The present season has been an unfortunate journey for the Spaniard, as his season was immediately halted by a horror incident in the Portuguese Grand Prix in March, in which he suffered serious neck and back injuries. The eight time podium finisher returned to action at the British Grand Prix in August, but he struggled to regain his form and has only scored 12 points since then.
Espargaro, following the announcement, took to his Instagram handle and posted an emotional farewell note. The post read, “Hi everyone, as you know I’m not a social media fan, but as I’m receiving a lot of messages of encouragement/support for the Pierer Mobility Group‘s news regarding our future, I wanted to clarify a few things.”
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“It is true that I would have liked to continue racing full time in MotoGP because I think I still have the speed to be among the best, but the truth is that the step aside that I will take next year by joining the test team and making several wild cards is the result of an understanding between the two parties given the contractual problems in which the group is at the moment and thinking of a long-term collaboration to make Pierer Mobility Group the reference in the MotoGP World Championship!”
The 32-year-old did mention that he would’ve wanted to stay in MotoGP but it was a ‘mutual understanding’ that led to this decision. For the unversed, KTM had a contractual conundrum with 5 riders locked up until 2024 but with only 4 RC16s at their disposal. With Espargaro sacrificing his seat for the upcoming season, it remains to be seen how the Fernandez-Acosta duo will perform for the GasGas Racing team.