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Honda is having a difficult time. Rins' victory at Austin was an isolated episode and Marquez is also struggling to achieve good results. Santi Hernandez, who is Marc's crew chief, is fully aware of the situation, and he talked about it at length in an interview with Nico Abad on his YouTube channel.
The Spanish coach has no illusions about the possibility of fighting for the title in 2023: "it's very difficult, we’ve missed three Grands Prix and we didn't score any points either at Portimao or at Le Mans on Sunday - he summed up the current situation - It's very complicated, but with a rider like Marc the mentality is always to do the best possible. I'm realistic, we are not at the level to fight for victory in every Grand Prix, but we have the best rider and anything can happen. Our goal is to stay in front every weekend, not to think about the title."
Marquez is giving it his all and Santi has recognized his worth.
“From zero to 10, I have a rider worth 20. The bike? Right now it's not a 10, it's a 5, we can't win, we are struggling, we can see it with all the riders, not just with Marc. We see how much he has to risk in the race to stay in front, I have to be honest in my judgment to be able to improve the bike” he said.
What is missing from the RC213V?
“Marc explained it very well: there is a lack of top speed, acceleration and braking stability – was Hernandez's answer - Marquez does things that the bike doesn't allow him to do, like at Le Mans, he crashed but trying is in his DNA, what has made him win so much. He has already shown that he has the same speed and the same desire as always ”.
The Spanish champion is the first person who is making an effort to get back on top.
“He's not asking for a bike that only he can ride, but everyone - underlined the crew chief - We see it with Ducati: having 8 riders who go fast on the same bike helps you improve. He wants to improve the areas where we are struggling, he knows how to adapt to problems and mask them, but to do that he has to take risks. Not everyone is willing to do it. I think Honda has the ability to change, they're the first ones interested in doing it. Ducati and Aprilia have taken an important step forward and we and Yamaha are a bit behind."
Between aerodynamics and lowering devices, MotoGP is getting closer to Formula 1, in the sense that the vehicle is of ever greater importance.
"I think our sport is technological and you have to adapt to new things – said Santi - Having said that, I preferred the races in which the rider made the difference more than the bike, I'm talking about the era of Valentino, Stoner, Pedrosa, Lorenzo. Now the bike is more important, but the rider can still make the difference, as Marc demonstrates".
