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Honda takes cover after the winter break. That long-awaited progress in development everyone was expecting for the RC213V didn’t happen during the pre-season tests. At Portimão, they reached a gap of eight tenths from the reference marked by Francesco Bagnaia. A clear sign that Honda hasn’t yet managed to get out of the rut into which they plunged after Marc Marquez’s injury. But it’s also some extra motivation for the Japanese giant towards adopting solutions that will allow them to return to important positions as soon as possible.
Besides strengthening its collaboration with Kalex – requesting the German company to build new frames for the RC213V – Honda has asked Michelin to switch the technician that was assigned to them. According to rumors reported by Motorsport.com, it was a move made by HRC’s new technical director, Ken Kawauchi, who asked to be able to replace Clement Cordoliani with Christophe Robert, the French Constructor’s technician with whom the former Suzuki member had worked last year in the garage of the team from Hamamatsu.
A last-minute request that wasn’t particularly appreciated by the Gresini team, where Robert was relocated after Suzuki’s retirement. That’s why this switch in technicians could only take place in May, during the Spanish GP in Jerez, when the Japanese Constructor should also be receiving the new bike from Kalex. As we wait to see if the team from Faenza agrees to incorporate Cordoliani into its staff or prefers to opt for another Michelin technician, it seems increasingly likely that Honda will take a few more months to start changing tack.
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