Pol Espargaro made his much-an⭕ticipated return to the MotoGP paddock during the Assen weekend, albeit not in a competitive fashion after remaining sidelined.

On-🥂track to return following the summer break, Pol will be back aboard his GASGAS Tech 3 ꧋KTM for the first time since suffering a multitude of injuries, which at the time left his career in jeopardy. 

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While it was an emotional return for Pol, Aleix went on to claim his first podium of the season after inheriting third after a post-rꦅace penalty for Brad Binder.

Aleix also spoke about the emotional side of things when it comes ꧂to his brother and that having him on the grid made the Aprilia rider ‘very ha🥀ppy’.

Speaking to , Espargaro said:🤡 "It's been very emotional to have Pol on the grid. It's 𒅌not a place where I want to see him. I want to see him on the bike, fighting with him. 

"But when I saw him coming into the grid, for me it was very emotional. I know how hard has been for him, not physically because physically, he has a lot of injuries, but Iꦯ mean it's part of the ga🌠me. We know it.

"But me𒀰ntally to be out a lot of weeks, a lot of days and doesn't know when he was able to come back. It's not easy. 

"So I'm very happy for him that he's here, that everybody in GASGAS receives him as he 🌃deserves.

"As a brother, I'm very happy for this weekend for him. Actually, he🌠 didn’t want to come. He's here for me. 

"Now I can say. I push a lot the last two weeks for him to come, and finally he said ‘O💃K, I will come just on Saturday’. I said, ‘OK, Saturday is good enough, but everybody wants to see you’."

Without🎀 their team leader in Pol, GASGAS Tech 3 were still able to claim another top ten finish in the hands of Augusto Fernandez, despite the rookie having early contact in the Grand P꧅rix.

Discussing his race, Fernandez added: "I made a good start but I touched another🧔 rider, and at some point I went straight in the final chicane and w𒁃ent into the gravel. 

"Conditions were really hot and tough♔ out there, I did not feel too well on the bike, so I tried to survive really, rec💙overed as many positions as I could. 

"We scored im🥂portant points, which is good to close the first half of the seasജon. 

"We have potential for more, so our goal for the second half of the seas🦹on will 🉐be to make another step, and target higher positions more regularly."