The Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro pulled off another solid performance today to clinch 8th in Andalucía. The 25 year old kicked off the fight from the third row on the grid and leapt forward when the lights went out before completing the opening lap one place higher. He quickly set into his formidable race pace and by the mid point of the GP, he remained in 7th. The Spaniard kept pushing but despite his best efforts, he was overtaken by the Factory Ducati of Andrea Iannone in the final third of the race. Nevertheless, he comfortably finished ahead of the pursuing riders in 8th in what was his fourth top ten result this season. Now, Espargaro confidently looks on to the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team’s home Grand Prix in a fortnight’s time.

Meanwhile, Bradley Smith gave his all today after a tricky qualifying campaign and he met the chequered flag in the race in 12th position. The young Briton launched from the middle of the fifth row of the grid and whilst muscling his way around the track, he was pushed back to 15th by the close of the first lap. However, he dug deep as he intended to rise through the field and by lap 10 he snatched 12th. His progress continued and he opened a gap to the pack behind before powering to the end in this position. The 25 year old will use the test day tomorrow at the Jerez circuit as an opportunity to improve so that he can repeat his 2015 form at Le Mans, the next round of the MotoGP World Championship.
 
Pol Espargaro - Position: 8th Championship: 5th Points: 36 

"I am pleased to walk away from Jerez with another strong set of points but it certainly was a challenging race. The weather changed so much from the practice sessions and it was very hot out there today, so that it was tough to choose the tyres and then ride a decent race yet we did what we could. At the beginning I was just adjusting to the conditions, but I upped the pace in the middle and then went quick at the end. I feel, along with some of the other satellite riders for sure, that the gap to the factory guys is still considerable. We saw them going and just had to think about the end of the race otherwise we would wear the tyre and not finish. It’s a pity that you cannot extract all of the potential from your bike because the tyre is limited. Having said that we are in a development stage, so for sure this will improve in the future. Anyway we still managed to get 8th but we need a bit more so that we can fight a bit higher in the opening laps which we will aim to discover tomorrow. In the final third of the GP, Iannone had a bit more traction than me when exiting the corners. My rear tyre was worn so I didn’t want to push too hard and risk it all. Le Mans is next, which is the Monster Energy sponsored race and the home GP for my team. I like the track but not the weather as it changes a lot! We are all motivated and in a good position in the championship so I know we can have a positive time there."

Bradley Smith - Position: 12th Championship: 12th Laps: 20 

"Without a doubt it was a tough weekend for me but at least I got something out of it in terms of points, and I am determined to have a more successful time at the next round in France. In the race I had an ok start off the line but the Aprilias and Ducatis were really strong during the opening laps. Unfortunately I also lost some positions in the first lap due to contact with another rider so I ended up behind Hernandez and Bautista. I felt like it cost me some time following them, but with the lack of grip I experienced on the rear tyre, I could not push any harder at the beginning and already after ten laps I knew that I was in trouble. Therefore, I just tried to be as smooth as possible and reach the finish flag. The good thing is that we managed to improve my feeling with the front over the weekend and I felt more comfortable when compared to the previous races, so tomorrow in the test we will focus on trying to find a solution to the rear. However, saying that is very easy and this may not be the case in reality. Yet, we will work hard and take full advantage of tomorrow so that we can be strong in Le Mans like last year."

Hervé Poncharal - Team manager :

“To be honest I have mixed feelings about this race. I, like most of the people, was expecting an incredible fight but at the end of the day it wasn’t such an exciting Grand Prix. Yamaha demonstrated by claiming first and second, that in the hot conditions they have an incredible package. Regarding Tech3, Pol had a strong weekend from the first session on friday morning until the end of the race and he finished in almost all of the practices as the top independent rider, including qualifying. During the race itself, he had a good start and pushed hard but we could see that it was going to be tricky for him to be better than the top independent bike. He tried to stay in front of Iannone but the rhythm was too different and I think he was very wise to take the points in 8th which sees him in 5th in the championship standings. I want to thank him because this year he is a lot more mature, determined and involved in how he is working with the team so we are glad to have him onboard. Heading to our home Grand Prix and being 4th in the team championship is something that we feel proud about. Regarding Bradley, it was another tough weekend for him, but just like in Austin and Argentina, he managed to better everything on race day. His start was not ideal but the pace, especially in the second part of the race, was constantly improving and he was getting closer to Pol and maybe with one more lap it would have been possible to pass Cal. Altogether it was a challenging weekend, and I think this year he is just not comfortable on the bike yet. However, Brad and Tech3 along with Yamaha plus Michelin all need to work together and I’m sure we will find some solutions so that he can show his true potential which we saw in 2015. Lets hope Le Mans will be the turning point of the season so that he can be fighting with Pol for the top independent position.”