As usual, on the Monday after the race weekend, Alberto Puig, Honda’s MotoGP team manager, gives his opinion on the weekend. The former rider admitted that the outcome of the race in Portugal was not what he expected, but that the bad weather also prevented him from working in the dry on Friday and Saturday to understand the new bike on this track.
“We didn’t have an easy race. We couldn’t get the perfect set-up and we probably needed more time to understand our bike on this track,” explained Puig.
“Certainly there was not enough time under normal conditions, but this is no excuse because the other riders and other teams were fast in the same conditions as us. We must continue to work and explore the possibilities that lie ahead,” he added. .
The Spanish manager acknowledged that Honda’s final result, with Marc Marquez’s sixth place best, did not meet the brand’s aspirations for this race.
“The positive point is that we are two points closer to the lead in the drivers’ championship, but the reality is that our performance was not as good as we had hoped for here. Finishing 16 seconds behind the winner is not our goal. This is not good. good for us, and we need to improve, “he said in self-criticism.
Honda was the only brand to go off-script with their choice of tires, with both Pol Espargaro and Alex Marquez opting for a hard rear compound when the rest of the riders mounted the medium.
“Pol chose the hard tire and it went well. Marc opted for the medium. For his driving style it was good in Portugal and it was the right choice,” he said.
With the Portimao weekend over, the world championship now heads to Jerez, where the Spanish Grand Prix will take place this weekend, the sixth round of a championship in which Honda is still running out of victories.
“Now we are going to Jerez, a circuit where our riders are traditionally fast. We have to wait and see what the situation is, aim for a better race and try to understand if we will be with the best group in the race. Portimao has shown that we need to improve. our bike “, admitted the Catalan.
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