Alex Rins has been absent from racing since breaking his right leg in a crash in the Sprint of the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. Since the recovery took longer than expected, mainly due to the nerves in his foot, the date of the LCR rider’s return is still uncertain and he continues to be replaced by Iker Lecuona.
During his time away from racing, Rins was announced as Yamaha rider for 2024. In doing so, he ended his two-year contract with Honda early, as he was dissatisfied with the level of support from the manufacturer, despite being the only winner with HRC this season.
While he is likely to make his Yamaha debut in the Valencia test after the November race, the risk-reward balance of completing the season with Honda has changed significantly. But Rins claims that he is not thinking about it and that he will be back in action when the doctors give him the all clear.
“Honestly, I’m not the kind of rider who thinks ahead and says come back to Valencia,” he said during the Austrian GP on Friday. “I’ll come back when I’m ready to go back. If I pass the medical checks, fit or not, I can make the effort and maybe even cry inside myself. But if I have to come back to do last, suffering and inflaming my leg more, then it hasn’t sense”.
Alex Rins, LCR Honda Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Rins admits the decision to leave LCR next year wasn’t easy, adding: “It’s true that I’m not in the factory team, the support that this team has, but I felt I didn’t get the same treatment as the factory team because my contract is official”.
“But the support wasn’t the same as I had at Suzuki. So, it wasn’t easy because I feel very good in the team. Lucio Cecchinello is a fantastic person. But in the end, being in a factory team isn’t the same as being in a satellite team. So, the way of being in a factory team is much more,” says Rins.
His place at LCR is expected to be taken by current Pramac rider Johann Zarco, and French television network Canal+ reported just this morning that the deal has already been closed. LCR has not yet officially announced his signing, nor Pramac or Ducati his departure from the scene.
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