Honda's difficulties continue in Jerez, at least at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix. However, there are no signs of improvement in the coming days and Joan Mir clearly said in Austin that the direction of development taken by the Japanese brand was not correct. Furthermore, if the situation on the Andalusian track had not improved, it would have been necessary to be drastic. Everything suggests that it will end like this.
The 2020 MotoGP world champion once again became the representation of HRC's desperation, having closed the first free practice session on Friday in 22nd position with a time of 1'38″574 and the second session with the 20th fastest time in 1 '37”476. The Majorcan remained almost a second and a half behind Pecco's best time and is the third Honda rider, also behind the two LCRs.
Thus, after the two track sessions, Mir showed despair for Honda's situation, which seemed to be different this season, given the good sensations of the pre-season. But now, whatever happens, the RC213V is not capable of taking flight.
“We are changing many things to be more comfortable, but whatever you do, the bike doesn't change,” began the Majorcan. “It's desperation, now we don't turn, but the rear won't hold”. In this way he summed up the situation of the Japanese brand in a very clear concept: “It's a drama”.
It must be remembered that in Jerez, Honda is counting on the help of Stefan Bradl, a tester who will be racing as a wild card this weekend. However, the development of the bike that the German is carrying out is not the one desired by the riders: “Bradl's bike is going in a direction that is not the one we want, it's fine for him to ride it.”
Mir did not blame the major flaw of the 2024 RC213V on aerodynamics: “The problem is not aerodynamics, but a very large internal component (the engine, ed.). The concept is wrong. The fact is that we don't know when these improvements will arrive.”
Finally, the rider from Palma de Mallorca complained about the fact that the aerodynamics do not make up for the weak points, confirming that he will take a different development path in the Montmelo tests after the Catalan Grand Prix: “In Sepang, Honda brought a new, which was more powerful and where the weak points could be compensated for with aerodynamics, but that wasn't the case. In the Barcelona tests we will start working in another direction,” he concluded.
Marini even further than Mir
If Mir's situation is complicated, Marini's is worse. The driver from Tavullia concluded the tests in penultimate position in the time rankings, behind all the HRC drivers, including Bradl. The Italian remained ahead of only Lorenzo Savadori, an Aprilia tester, and hopes to get within a second of the top, but this Friday he finished almost two seconds from the top.
“It was a standard day, like the rest of the year. We expected to be a little closer on this track, which is short. Our goal is to finish one second behind the leaders. The problem is that we don't just have one problem. The bike doesn't turn, but we can't gain either in braking or in cornering pace,” she explained.
“Last year's bike was very good in braking and the rider was pushing hard, beyond the limit of the tyre. It's not that the tires were wrong,” he concluded, confirming that Honda has too many problems to solve.
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