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Still in the lower parts of the standings, the Honda riders greeted the final outcome of the Catalan round with different feelings, more hopeful and optimistic for the future Marini, decidedly more critical Mir, complicit in some innovations that did not pay off as hoped. Actually, not everything is to be thrown away because at least they did not finish as tail lights. In fact, the Iberian crossed the finish line 15th, while the Italian 17th . Aware both of the impossibility of a miraculous recovery, even looking ahead to the next scheduled event, caution is in order.
"I must say that it was my best race this year - Luca 's words - Unfortunately, despite a good start I was not able to pass Nakagami. Compared to him I had a little more pace, maybe because he was managing the rear tire. Personally, I tried to pass him to avoid overheating tires and engine, but it was impossible, as he was going strong on the straight and taking off well. I was not able to do the same, in fact at one point I started to suffer from locking up and from there I was threaded by my teammate and Zarco. I tried to hang on to them and pass Johann, but then I went straight and found myself at the back. To catch up I ran out of rear tire. It only takes four full turns to finish them off. Still, it was a positive race."
What is the feeling about the development of the RC213-V?
We are working in the right direction. Although the upgrades have not allowed us to progress much, the bike now rides well. We simply lack overall performance."
Did the lack of grip penalize the RC213-V?
"No, I think it was a problem for everyone. Does the Aprilia suffer less? Maybe, however, it did not win. This is a track that brings out the critical issues and we have many of them, so you suffer, but you have to look at it with a positive eye and with the knowledge that we are progressing. Now we are waiting for the news to make further progress."
Could the Barcelona GP have been a good starting point?
"Absolutely, next week we will be at Mugello, another circuit with poor grip. A lot will depend on the temperatures, hopefully cooler. Honestly I think if I had more clear air in front I would have been faster. Next weekend I think we can do well, but only for the "Honda Cup," at the back of the pack. If they would frame us more frequently, the spectators would also enjoy it. How am I doing with the team? Very well. No tension at all. We know what package we have at our disposal and we are giving our best to get results, even if today we are not in the condition to fight at the front as we all would like."
As mentioned former Suzuki rider Joan Mir was less sugar-coated and optimistic in his analysis.
"Making a comparison with the other Hondas we suffered quite a bit, especially in terms of configuration since I and maybe also my pit neighbor had a new one. It was like that all weekend and in the race it was no different. I couldn't attack like in previous events, so I couldn't even stay close to the others. It was really frustrating, I was sliding all over the place. Currently we lack top speed and that makes it impossible to battle. At Mugello it should be better because if it is true that there is a long straight, the grip is better. Montmelo, on the other hand, is the worst scenario you can find. The direction of development? It's going toward progress in the corners. I come out of this GP feeling like a step backward," he concluded.
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