After three very interesting and informative first Grands Prix, we took stock of the technical aspects with Didier, brand by brand, before the European campaign begins.
yamaha
“Yamaha’s start to the season has been almost perfect. There were some slightly difficult moments during the tests with Valentino Rossi, but there was a bit of misinformation. He's a smart guy, and he had success on his side in the race. The Yamahas are the best at the moment. They are well born, coming from a high quality line. When they make a prototype with all the good data records they have, it's a little easier. Their motorcycles are still running well for years. They progress by adding small touches to already efficient models. When they're wrong, it's only a little worse. Whereas a manufacturer who makes significant changes will have a greater chance of finding himself far from major progress.
Honda
“Honda has been starting its seasons with difficulty for some time, then managing to improve. A driver like Marc Marquez erases a lot of flaws. The bike is progressing, especially on circuits that are favorable to it like Austin, even if it is still a little reluctant. We see that Dani Pedrosa and Cal Crutchlow are not far behind Marquez. Jack Miller a little further away is also significantly more efficient than last year at the same time. We must not bury the Honda.
Ducati
“Ducati is not a simple case. They work a lot. The arrival of Jorge Lorenzo gave hope for miracles, which did not happen. It's laborious, but when we look at the progress race after race, we still see that it's going in the right direction. But the road is still long.
Suzuki
“It’s more difficult for Suzuki. Firstly they only have two drivers, which complicates things when you want to do development. The advantage is that we concentrate on two motorcycles rather than having parts stocks to manage for satellite teams. Everything is more complicated, heavier when you have more motorcycles because you need more personnel and equipment, but from a purely technical point of view, for development, it is a handicap. In addition, Alex Rins is injured, which makes things particularly complicated. It is certain that the Suzuki is a good bike, a quality base, but I think that if it was used by four good riders it would not be in its current situation.
Aprilia
“The Aprilia has done some interesting things, its development has been well managed. They also only have two motorbikes, which doesn't make things easy. It's about time Sam Lowes got involved. Aprilia therefore finds itself with only one fast rider. It is difficult to make a good motorcycle in these conditions. The Aprilia is a good machine in the making, but developing it in these conditions is not a simple thing.
KTM
“KTM still has everything to prove and we shouldn’t throw stones at them. They arrive in MotoGP, the most difficult category. Time takes time. They have made some spectacular announcements, probably commercially important, but it will still take time for them to be competitive. »
