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MotoGP, Bradl: “Marquez can’t risk like he used to, he’s not getting any younger”

“Marc knows he still has two or three good seasons ahead of him. Until he got hurt, accidents didn’t worry him much, but now he has to rely on the bike more and needs a competitive Honda.”

MotoGP: Bradl: “Marquez can’t risk like he used to, he’s not getting any younger”

Honda, what happened to you?”,  one might ask, while looking at constructor’s results, since Marc Marquez injured himself in Jerez, in July 2020. The long ordeal of the champion from Cervera threw a wrench into the Japanese giant’s plans, as it touched one of its lowest points ever in the MotoGP in 2022, ending up in last place in the constructors rankings, with only 155 points. Not even the eldest of the Marquez brothers, the best Honda rider in the standings with 113 points (which earned him a 13th place) managed to improve Honda’s fate, since not once was he able to reach the top step of the podium.

Will things change in 2023, or will Marc and Honda suffer this year too? The competitiveness of the Japanese constructor is one of the biggest questions this season, as well as one of the issues that our colleagues at Speedweek discussed with Honda’s tester, Stefan Bradl. The man who, this season, was called to replace Marc in seven Grand Prixs, since he wasn’t in perfect shape.

Marc is about to turn thirty. He knows he still has two or three good seasons ahead of him and wants a winning bike. He stressed this several times, even before stopping after the Mugello race,” Stefan commented. “Marc didn’t see the great progress he expected in the Valencia tests in November. He underwent surgery four times for his arm, and I think he’s aware of his health, so he’s now asking for clear measures from HRC.

Falling to reach the limit has always been one of Marc’s distinctive features, but his margin is no longer what it used to be.Things have changed in the past two or three years.  The competition has become much stronger. Ducati has really progressed, and all eight riders on the Desmosedici are fast. The MotoGP has changed and, with the current bike, Marc can’t take advantage of his strengths as he once did," Bradl explained. “He has to risk too much, but he knows he can no longer do so. He has to rely more on the bike and, given the poor results of 2022, he wants a more competitive one. The criticism didn’t only come from Marc but from all the Honda riders. He’s in a strong position, given his successes. As long as nothing happened to Marc, the accidents didn’t bother him much. Until the results on Sunday were good, he tolerated a lot, but he’s not getting any younger.”

Keeping up with the competition won’t be an easy task, and Alberto Puig admitted that Japanese technicians will have to intervene in more than one area, in order to restore competitiveness to the RC213V.

On the single lap, Honda didn’t do well, and it’s a big hassle when on Sunday you end up at the bottom of the grid, eighth or tenth. The chances of getting on the podium decrease,” the tester said. “Ducati has shown courage because it has constantly made changes to the devices and to aerodynamics. Honda has never been at the forefront in experimenting, and now this is backfiring on them.”

 

Translated by Leila Myftija

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