Aleix Espargaro has expressed sympathy for Christophe Ponsson, but insists no rider should make their MotoGP debut during a race weekend.

Espargaro has personal experience of the matter, having also never ridden a MotoGP machine before his own 2009 stand-in debut.

With hindsight, the Spaniard feels it was a mistake then and even more of a mistake now, given how close the MotoGP field has become.

Instead, Espargaro wants any replacements with zero MotoGP experience to have at least a day of testing beforehand.

"There has to be a pre-test and obviously a rider who is racing in a CEV championship cannot join MotoGP," Espargaro said.

"I'm sorry, but I would love if Ferrari offered for me to do the next Formula One race but I can't! This is the same thing. I have my own 125cc kart and I go karting, but it's impossible for me to go [into F1] and MotoGP has to be the same."

The reason it would be impossible, aside from the obvious, is that F1 has a super-license system, which requires a certain level of past success and experience.

"A 'super licence' sounds very cool, but something like this. I don’t know, it's [the organisers'] job to find a way so that the rider who is coming is in a good level."

Ponsson, 22, was parachuted into Avintia Ducati in place of the injured Tito Rabat last time at Misano, his appointment raising eyebrows due to the lack of any previous grand prix running or MotoGP test mileage.

With no super license system, MotoGP rules simply state: "To participate in qualifying practice a rider must achieve a lap time at least equal to 107% of the time recorded by the fastest rider in the same session, in any one of the four Free Practice sessions (FP1, FP2, FP3, FP4)."

Ponsson was inside the 107% time in FP2 and FP4 and went on to qualify his two-year Desmosedici (the oldest bike on the grid) 26th and last, with a best lap time 3.1s from next slowest Hafizh Syahrin and 5.6s from Marc Marquez's pole position.

The Frenchman spent the entire race at the back of the field, being lapped by lap 19 of 27.

After being replaced by Jordi Torres for this weekend's Aragon round, Ponsson responded with a statement saying he only accepted the Avintia ride on the basis of getting several races to learn the machine and felt the decision to replace him was mainly due to criticism from some big-name MotoGP riders .

Espargaro - who got his own MotoGP chance as a replacement rider (at Pramac Ducati) in 2009, albeit after 67 starts in the 125 and 250cc classes - felt the biggest danger for such a rookie is during the opening session, with Ponsson 7.4s off the pace in FP1 at Misano.

"I felt very bad for him when I found him in the track during FP1, but actually it was not safe. This is the reality. Because the difference in speed in the middle of the corner… in the first half an hour he was eight seconds [a lap slower].

"I tried to be nice because I felt bad for him because it is not really his fault, the problem was the rules. And he improved a lot during the weekend, I have to say."

Ironically, having got a grand prix weekend under his belt, Ponsson now has far more MotoGP experience than Torres, who although race winner in Moto2 and WorldSBK has not yet completed a MotoGP lap.

"The problem is not that Ponsson [was due to be] racing again here at Aragon. The problem is that he didn't have to race in Misano," Espargaro said. "Actually, it was a lot more dangerous that he was in Misano than if he was here now, because now he would be a lot more prepared.

"But many riders pushed a lot [in the Safety Commission, for Ponsson to be replaced]. I can understand also these riders. But it's about the rules. It's Dorna or IRTA's fault [for accepting his entry], not Ponsson's fault."

'I wasn't ready in 2009'

Reflecting on his own 2009 MotoGP debut, Espargaro said: "I remember, I tried a MotoGP bike for the first time in a race weekend in Indianapolis.

"I was 17 or 18 years old. I was not ready. I was at home, not racing and I remember arriving at Indianapolis and the first time I touched the brakes I almost went into the grandstand because carbon brakes are different, everything is different.

"Then I did a good race, I was very close to the top ten [13th], but I think it was a mistake that I was able to race there because [against] the best riders in the world, on the best bikes in the world…

"It has to be that never, ever, can anybody try for the first time a MotoGP bike in a race weekend. This rule doesn't exist right now. I think also Jordi Torres has never ridden a MotoGP bike. So it will also be his first time this weekend and I don't agree with that also.

"Van der Mark's level [as a replacement without any MotoGP experience last year] is another story. He is a lot stronger rider, but anyway for me he should also have to try the bike before. It has to be a rule like this and I don’t think it's super difficult to do a one-hour test on a Wednesday in any track in Europe with a MotoGP bike.

"But it's not possible that somebody arrives here not having tried carbon brakes before, never trying MotoGP. They are so far and in the first session, the first day, it's so dangerous…They [Dorna and IRTA] realise it's a mistake and they are working on it."

Espargaro believes the reason why it's suddenly become more of an issue is down to the shrinking difference between the front and back of the grid.

"Bautista said a very intelligent thing, which was that 8-10 years ago the rider who was in 15th place was 3.5s off pole position. Now, the rider in 15th is eight tenths off pole.

"So when somebody new is coming, seven seconds a lap is impossible. The times have changed a lot and so we have to change the rules as we do in many different areas now.

"Because if you were seven seconds [slower in the past] maybe the rider in front of you on the grid was only 1.5s faster. So the times have changed and the rules have to change as well."

For that reason, Espargaro says that the 107% rule, which currently defines if a rider is fast enough to race in MotoGP, will also be re-examined.

"Yes, also we are working to reduce this a little bit. We have to see how they will do it in the case of tricky conditions or whatever, but it's on the plan also to reduce the 107%."