Marc Marquez may have ended the French MotoGP in the gravel trap, however, the eight-time world champion put his rivals on red alert after another impressive showing aboard a Honda that’s clearly lacking performance.
While much attention was focussed on the new Kalex chassis, LCR riders Alex Rins and Takaaki Nakagami ran through a range of Honda aerodynamic options during Monday’s Jerez MotoGP test.
While Alex Rins qualified on the COTA front row, finished second in the Sprint and then broke HRC’s 18-month MotoGP victory drought in the main race, it was a very different story for his fellow Honda riders.
Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of the lead, and a total of nine riders failed to finish the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas. Here are their frustrations and explanations…
What could be his last season in MotoGP should he fail to deliver the kind of results Honda expect, Takaaki Nakagami has already confessed that another ‘step forward’ is needed.
Along with missing out on several top riders due to a lack of risk taking, Keith Huewen believes Honda’s reliance on Marc Marquez in previous years has led to them being ‘where they are now’, which is struggling to be a force in MotoGP.
The gap between Honda and Ducati is “huge”, says Livio Suppo, but he has backed Joan Mir and Alex Rins to succeed in their new environment “if they don’t get lost”.
Pol Espargaro has criticised Honda for failing to supply him with the same equipment as six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, after it was confirmed he would leave for KTM.
Takaaki Nakagami has undergone a third round of surgery to treat the injuries to his right-hand from September’s Aragon MotoGP clash with Marc Marquez.
Tetsuta Nagashima made an impressive start to his first weekend as a WorldSBK rider as he finished sixth on combined times during Friday Practice at Phillip Island.