Luca Marini is continuing his work to try to find a solution on a Honda that has never been in such trouble in the top class as it is this season. From the outside, it looks like HRC is completely lost, but riders often point out how much work is actually being done behind the scenes to change things on the track. One change regarding the future of the HRC box has been the subject of rumors these days and it concerns a prominent figure in the paddock, namely Fabiano Sterlacchini, who is leaving KTM.
For now it is only a rumor, but it seems that his arrival at Honda is plausible and would pair with the arrival, right alongside Luca Marini, of Christian Pupulin, who after a lifetime with Ducati followed Jack Miller to KTM. Big changes indeed, but one should not forget that in Honda they are already working hard, as Luca Marini wanted to reiterate.
"I don't have any news about this, I haven't talked about it with anyone - were Marini's words on the subject - For me Sterlacchini is a very good engineer, I know him from Ducati days. Now also in KTM I think he has done very good things, seeing how fast it is. If he comes to Honda, I would be happy, but I can't do anything about it. It depends on the Honda management, which is investing so much, they want to get back to the top and for me that would be a very good thing. My job is to stay focused on my job and get the most out of the bike on the track. You can't see it from the outside, but they are working hard in Honda. There was just a need to understand what direction to take and now in my opinion it is very clear, the results will be seen in the medium term, hopefully as soon as possible."
According to Pol Espargarò, Sterlacchini's method could work well in HRC.
"It depends on what you mean by working method. But in any case, these are all hypotheses that at the moment there is no point for me to make, because first we don't know if he is coming or not. Then we do not know in any case, what his role would be. I don't think it will be in the case a position... I don't want to say anything, if he comes we'll talk about it. That would be a very good thing, he is a great engineer."
You will also change chief engineer, with Pupulin who in turn comes from KTM and has been at Ducati.
"Yes, I will have a new chief engineer. The Honda is a very different bike from Ducati, you can't turn this bike into that. In my opinion you have to get the best out of the Honda, which has some things better than others, we have to exploit its potential. Optimize everything every time. The new arrivals, let's see how they will fit into this reality, with the right approach it's a fantastic reality."
Do you think it is true that you have now learned how to make your bike work better on the track?
"I think the reality is this, at the beginning of the season my set-up was not suited to my style. But it's also true, though, that I was riding the bike the way I did with the Ducati, at least the way I was fast with that bike. And it wasn't working, I know I have to change certain things a little bit, especially the braking is the area where I'm working the most and now it's starting to work because I'm braking better and better and that allows me to take corners better. Then also the new parts are helping me, like the different and easier engine. Maybe calling it easy is not suitable, but I can't find a different and more suitable word. In any case we are going in the right direction now."
Is the braking problem solvable?
"The feeling in Honda that there is not enough load on the rear is constant and I think that is the problem that does not allow us to be strong under braking. I would like to bring more speed on the braking, right during braking. But with the Honda you can't do that, you have to use a completely different technique than with the Ducati. I just needed to change this to be faster, but it was not easy especially in qualifying because at that moment I often forget, I think too much about being fast and I can't be as fast as I could."
Will you have the new engine here that Nakagami also used at Silverstone?
"To call it a new engine is perhaps too much, I would say more like an upgrade. In terms of performance we saw that what Taka Nakagami had at Silverstone was a little bit better than ours. Our previous engine is not less performance, but maybe it is more difficult. In any case, a good job was done with this step forward, it's part of the process, even small steps forward are always important and I'm happy about that. I don't think it will change our performance on the track much."
Speaking of Nakagami, it looks like he will have to leave his bike to Chantra. Would you have preferred an experienced rider or a rookie in LCR?
"For me it doesn't change much, it's the same. Taka for me is doing a great job, he is a very good rider and he explains things in Japanese to the HRC engineers, which sometimes helps to make himself perfectly understood, as always when there is very good communication. But for me it doesn't change much whether he is there or a rookie, we are the ones who have to work well anyway."
You saw Ezpeleta's declarations about there being too many Italians and Spaniards in MotoGP, what do you think?
"I wouldn't know how to answer that. The level of Italian and Spanish riders is very high, and if there are so many of them in MotoGP it is because they are the best right now. If we are able to find in other countries riders who are just as good then welcome. But I think in Spain and Italy there is a different culture of motorcycle racing, which allows kids to grow up and become riders of the future. Elsewhere there are not the same possibilities. If it then becomes necessary to be one of the three strongest Italian riders to be in MotoGP, it won't be a problem!"