Pol Espargaro “so sorry” to be involved in milestone MotoGP crash for Luca Marini
Pol Espargaro talks his collision with Luca Marini in the Malaysian GP sprint
KTM stand-in Pol Espargaro says he is “so sorry” to have been involved in Luca Marini’s first MotoGP crash of the year in the 2025 Malaysian Grand Prix sprint.
The KTM test rider is deputising for the injured Maverick Vinales at Tech3 and has shown impressive speed.
Qualifying 12th on Saturday at Sepang, Pol Espargaro was on for points until a late tangle with Honda’s Luca Marini dropped him to 11th at the chequered flag.
The resulting fall for Marini marked his first of the 2025 MotoGP season, which Espargaro says was “a pity to be part of” as his sprint to that point was “pure joy”.
“It was ok,” he said.
“At the end of the race, I’m satisfied, because I’m not looking for anything.
“I’m just trying to be as fast as possible, trying to collect some data and give back to the team.
“That’s it. The result doesn’t matter. I’m not here to give results.
“So, whatever comes, I’m happy, and if I can battle with these guys, it’s even better.
“To be able to fight against Marco [Bezzecchi], Marini, they are very strong, very fast, and this is pure joy.
“It was a pity to be part of Luca’s first crash. I’m so sorry about it.
“He tried to overtake me, and he didn’t have enough speed, so when I was closing the line, I couldn’t see him.
“So, it was contact. I lost four positions there.
“These are things that happen in racing. We saw each other and it’s fine. Let’s see if tomorrow we can collect better points.”
The FIM stewards placed the collision between the pair at Turn 14 under investigation, but quickly deemed no further action was necessary.
KTM ended Saturday with a podium, after Pedro Acosta was promoted to third following a time penalty for Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer over a tyre pressure infringement.
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