The days are passing by, but the road between Honda and the light at the end of the tunnel does not seem to be getting any shorter. On the contrary. Propping up the table in the Constructors' standings with just over half the points of Yamaha, which is ahead of it in fourth place, the Golden Wing manufacturer returns to Misano in the wake of a round marked by physical problems for its two factory riders and a day of testing that was anything but revolutionary.
"The plan is to test a little bit everything. We have not a prototype, but we have a lot of parts that we are using for our current machines. We are testing everything, aerodynamics, engine, and some chassis parts. All that we can do, we are trying," Team Manager Alberto Puig explained to the microphones of the MotoGP website, talking about the work done in Romagna.
So many pieces of a puzzle still far from finding its resolution, because the gap to be made up is too wide to be closed with a few small improvements here and there. Precisely for this reason, Luca Marini's cautious optimism and Johann Zarco's calmness after Monday's test must be weighed against Joan Mir's palpable disappointment, the Spaniard worried and discouraged by the lack of a new RC213V for 2025, and with the strong words expressed by test rider Stefan Bradl to HRC just before the start of the San Marino Grand Prix. In which he was taking part as a wildcard.
"You have to take it with a sense of humor. They force me to ride with things that don't work. In the Warm Up we tried something that, in some ways, was the last step to still have some hope. It didn't work this time either," said the German rider, as reported by the Spanish edition of Motorsport.com.
A sad picture of the difficulties encountered in the race by the Honda riders, who are still far from being able to fight for a place in the Top 10.
"Now I'm riding the old bike, but not to the specifications I would like. It is clear that we are in a dead end. We haven't found a solution or a way to improve somehow and get out of this crisis. I have no feeling with the bike. I have no physical or mental preparation. I don't feel anything," concluded Bradl dejectedly, who later crossed the finish line in 14th position behind the two LCR riders.
Not the most encouraging outlook with which to look forward to 2025 and the last races of this season.