Pol Espargaro slams ‘way too aggressive’ Franco Morbidelli after Portuguese GP crash

Tech3 KTM stand-in rider Pol Espargaro says Franco Morbidelli’s field-scattering move on lap one of the Portuguese Grand Prix was ‘way too aggressive’.

Morbidelli was the biggest loser in the Turn 5 incident, which ended with the VR46 Ducati rider on the floor and out of the race. But that did not stop Espargaro, who was among the riders Morbidelli was seemingly trying to pass, from adding to the criticism the Roman has already received in 2025.

“He entered way, way, way too aggressively,” said Espargaro, taking up the story. “He tried to overtake… I think there were three or four guys there. He came inside and he was entering too aggressively for the first lap, at Turn 5, where you go downhill, with a full tank.

“He realised he couldn’t stop the bike, that’s why he went in between the riders. We were lucky because I don’t know who was in front of me that also picked up the bike.

“He generated a kind of domino effect where everyone goes [wide] and it’s super messy. So when I was going in, I had also guys in front that were affected from this movement. And yes, we collided. But I mean, he was too optimistic [under braking]. And suddenly it was chaotic.”

Morbidelli did not attend media sessions following the race to give his side of the story. Although the rider was reported to be uninjured following checks, the reason given for his absence was medical precaution.

While Morbidelli has history with an increasing number of riders on the grid, there is an interesting twist in the case of Espargaro. Earlier in the year, Morbidelli lashed out at Pol’s brother, Aleix, following a clash in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Morbidelli and Aleix Espargaro exchange views at Silverstone

Photo by: Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images

Since retiring at the end of 2024, 36-year-old Aleix has been a test rider for Honda – he was racing in England only as a wildcard.

Meanwhile, despite underlining a few weeks ago that he had never officially retired, Pol – who is two years younger than Aleix – said after the Portimao weekend that he had no wish to return to life as a full-time MotoGP rider.

“I enjoyed Malaysia,” said Espargaro. “I enjoyed Australia. I did not enjoy it here so much… I’m missing my daughters. No, honestly, I’m missing my life out of here.

“It’s really hard to keep taking that pressure weekend by weekend and knowing that… yeah, I sound bad… but everything can finish in the blink of an eye.

“I was not thinking about these things when I was young. But now I’m listening to the anthem at the beginning of every race and I’m thinking, ‘F***, it could be the last’, you know? And this is very hard.

“Before, I was alone – but not anymore. And I want to spend more time with my family.”

We want your opinion!

– The Motorsport.com Team