Pol Espargaró will serve as a substitute rider for Red Bull KTM Tech3 at the San Marino Grand Prix, marking his third consecutive fill-in appearance. Maverick Viñales continues to recover from a shoulder injury that has sidelined him for the past two rounds. Espargaró previously stepped in at Silverstone and Aragón, scoring points in his debut outing at the British venue before narrowly missing the podium at the Spanish round.
The upcoming schedule presents a demanding challenge for the KTM test rider, who may need to alternate between two distinctly different machines over the coming weeks. Following Misano, Espargaró is scheduled to test KTM’s new 850cc prototype equipped with Pirelli tires at Mugello. This testing commitment could potentially conflict with MotoGP obligations if he is required to compete again at the Austrian Grand Prix the following week, forcing him to switch between the current 1000cc machine and the prototype bike multiple times in rapid succession.
Team manager Nicolas Goyon praised Espargaró’s professionalism and familiarity with the squad. Viñales’ return timeline remains uncertain, with his shoulder injury originating from last year’s Sachsenring incident. The rider has already lost his 2027 grid position and has expressed doubt about his future in the championship, leaving Espargaró’s continued involvement dependent on Viñales’ recovery progress over the next week.
Originally reported by Sports.yahoo →
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