MotoGP | Puig “confused” by Honda improvements that don't work

Honda has started the new MotoGP season in disastrous fashion, with the radically revamped RC213V. With only 8 points collected out of a total of 111 available in the first three races, no driver of the Japanese brand achieved the top 10 either in the Sprints or in the long races.

During last week's Grand Prix of the Americas, only one Honda rider, Luca Marini, finished the race. The Pesaro rider had a gap of 33″529 from the winner on the track where the brand had won Alex Rins a year ago. This contrasts with the positivity that hovered around Honda in the Valencia tests last November, but the lack of progress has put the Japanese manufacturer in crisis.

“The only thing I can say is that in Japan they are trying very hard,” Puig told motogp.com during the Grand Prix of the Americas. “They're really trying, they're working on a lot of different things. They've brought new people into the group, they have more manpower. I mean, it's not like they're sleeping.”

“On the other hand, we're not getting there and the bike isn't performing. We've made big changes to the bike, good improvements, in theory. But they can't be seen on the track. At the moment we're a bit confused. We're trying a lot, but we can't see anything really convincing on the track.”

On Friday in Austin, Joan Mir harshly criticized Honda, saying it must “take responsibility” for going in the wrong direction with the RC213V concept this season. After the US weekend, the Majorcan took things further: “It's a desperate situation, because it's very difficult.”

“If you want to do something more, you can't. This is what happened in the race. You see yourself in the middle of the pack, the lap times, you get close, do one lap, two recovery laps, but on the third lap the bike says 'I give up'. This is a bit of the story of the pace we have. We have to be strong, work hard and continue to move forward to get out of this situation where we are far away.”