One of the dominant subjects of the tests in Losail is the rather worrying situation that Honda is currently in. Marc Marquez is physically unfit and can’t feel comfortable on the 2020 bike, his brother Alex is a rookie and you can’t expect miracles. Crutchlow doesn’t have a particularly good pre-season pre-season test session and fact either that Marquez tried the 2019 motorcycle today Back to back with the 2020 bike isn’t a good sign for HRC.
Alberto Puigwho did not hide Honda’s current problems, intervened on this matter. There isn’t much time left to solve them but the Spaniard doesn’t want the team to get lost at such a delicate moment.
“We don’t know the solution to our problems,” said Puig. “If we had known, we would have already done it. Of course, it is clear at the moment that we are not in good shape. We are trying things from last year.” but also things from two or three years ago, not just things that are a year old. As always, we try to improve as much as possible to resolve a situation that is not making us happy at all at the moment. Unfortunately we don’t have much time, but we’ll try until the last minute. Of course it’s a difficult situation, but part of our job is to solve problems, and this time we will too. “
PUIG: “I don’t know whether we’ll be riding the motorcycle in 2019 or … 2021.”
What do you expect when you test parts of the bike two or three years ago?
“What do you expect me to answer? I have already given an answer. We will try. You are the journalists and you need to understand my answers. “
But is there any real possibility that you will ride the 2019 bike instead of the 2020 bike?
“We work and try a lot of things, but it’s certainly not the end of the world. Yes, it’s true that we are also working on the 2019 motorcycle, but I don’t know if that’s the solution. I will probably do it.” I can only answer this question after the first race weekend. But at the moment I don’t know and I can’t answer. I don’t know if we’ll be riding the 2019 motorcycle, but we’re trying a lot of things. Maybe we’ll ride this year’s or last year’s motorcycle. Maybe with the bike we thought we’d use it in 2021. Honda knows, not me. “
In your opinion, is the 2020 bike worse than the previous one?
“The bike is undoubtedly faster. It is a fact and we have checked it against our data. But sometimes this is not enough. We have to check everything because often it’s just a matter of finding the right combination of elements. I know there’s not much time before the race, but that’s how we work, we’re always at the limit. “
Puig: “Marquez is not at his best and will not be in the Qatar GP either.”
There are also Marc’s physical problems to be assessed.
“Marc is a great driver. He’s certainly not at his best during this period and he won’t be at his best in Qatar. But we always have to remember that the championship starts in Qatar and doesn’t end where it ends.”
Did his physical condition punish you for developing the motorcycle?
“Yes, Marc’s physical condition is a problem. He’s not in the best of physical shape, but he would like to be. This is something we already know; we knew it from the start and it’s something we are nothing against can do . As I said, the championship starts in Qatar and maybe he’ll be in trouble at the beginning too, or at least he won’t be 100%. But we know that and we understand it. We know the direction it is going and it is better to be in this state than not knowing how it will develop. I am sure his shoulder will improve. “
It seems that the new Michelins are particularly a problem for you at Honda and for Ducati. Do you think so?
“The tires have more grip and that’s usually what we’re all asking for. But it always depends on how your bike reacts to that grip and how much it affects the package. Maybe having too much grip can be a problem, but I think Michelin did a great job. It’s not easy to add grip on a tire and make it last for the entire race, and they did. We’ll have to try to adapt, but it seems clear that this problem is bigger with some bikes than others. I think it depends on the type of engine that is on the bike. It’s another aspect that we need to focus a lot on, but there is nothing we can do about it. The manufacturer brought us the tire, so it’s up to us to customize it. “