KTM’s desire to reward Moto2 sensation ꦏPedro Acosta with a promotion to the premier class created a problem - how would they fit five riders onto four bikes?

After a bid to run a fifth bikꦍe was rejected by Dorna, KTM selec🏅ted veteran rider Espargaro as the man to miss out on a 2024 seat.

Acosta will inherit his Tech3 GASGAS ride.

Espargaro will instead takꦛe up as a role as test and reserve rider, andജ compete with wildcards.

♏Espargaro said to :🔴 "What is justice in our sport? 

“Because there is a rider who beats the rౠest, but you d🐷on't know if it is because of his talent or because he has the best bike. 

“And if you don't have 🎶that bike, most of the time you are not able to win.

"At the moment I ♍am in, and seeing that the factory wants to evolve with young talents like Pedro Acosta... 100% this situation could have been avoided. 

“It has been an absolute manꦗagement error on the part of KTM. 

“And I feel bad because I don'💟t like to criticise the factory I work for, the one that pays me, the one that takes care of me.

"But in this aspect, we have talked about it many times, they still have many shortcomings in 🐭terms of🅰 contracts or rider management. 

“And this has been one of them. 

“You cannot sign or have a rider with options to go up to MotoGP - it was also quite obvious that Pedro coul♔d h꧅ave this path - and have other riders signed.

"Or have a rider with a 1+1 year contract and ren𒁃ew it. 

“You are going 🅺to find yourself with this situation.

“I am not saying that it is fair or unfair that Augusto Fernandez or I would have l🐼eft, that Pedro would have stayed in Moto2, but in any case, the management has been very bad, very bad…”

'I was not able to bear the pain'

Espargaro’s first season with the Tech3 GASGAS team was ruined on the opening weekend in Po🉐rtimao when he suffered a terrible crash.

Major 𝔍lung, back and jaw injuries resulted in a lengthy lay-off of seven full rounds.

"Yes, this has🔴 been the worst injury I have had in my sports career,” he𝓰 reflected. 

“Because perhaps all the ones I have had have been small injuries that w⛎ith a month of recovery you were already ready to compe🍃te again.

"And then going home and not being able to [pick up] my daughters, such a simple thing, spending four weeks without being able to eat... “It's very traumatic. More than the pain, because I couldn't sleep for a month and a half, it's because of the trauma of the whole situation, of everything I have had to do ☂and I have never had to go through so much pain.

"If you now give me 10% of the pain that I went through any night of the first month and a half... I called the MotoGP doctor to admi𒆙t me again because I was not able to bear the pain.”