The team manager of the Honda Repsol team has spoken about the departure of Dani Pedrosa from the team and the arrival of Jorge Lorenzo as replacement for 2019 on speedweek.
Accused by many of being behind the departure of Dani Pedrosa from the Honda Repsol team, Alberto puig was rather complimentary when speaking of his former foal at the Sachsenring, even if he recognizes that there was a desire to replace him: “Dani has had a long career with Honda and many opportunities. He leaves the MotoGP paddock with many successes. He achieved more than many other drivers. He is one of those with the most victories. We must also highlight his ability to pilot the machine while being small. It is very impressive. However, after so many years, we wanted to look at other options. Lorenzo is a MotoGP world champion, so he was an interesting option and we wanted to see another rider on our bike. »
Recently, the idea that Honda could hire Pedrosa as a test rider was rumored in the industry, and Puig confirmed it: “We talked about it because it’s an interesting option. He knows what Honda thinks. We don't know if he will agree to test for us. It's his life and we respect his choices, it's up to him to decide. »
Concerning the choice of his replacement, the team manager does not beat around the bush to justify the choice of Jorge Lorenzo: “To be honest, the pilot was available and we tried to get him. I don't know what Ducati thought of it. I do not care. There was an opportunity and we took it. »
With his titles, victories, podiums and poles, Lorenzo will be a great teammate for Marc Márquez and the team therefore has high expectations for him, especially since he managed to make the Ducati work: “Jorge has already won three MotoGP titles. We think he has the potential to achieve good results with our machine. So we expect him to reach that level and, as in the past, fight for victory. Of course, you never know how a rider will adapt to a motorcycle. It took him a while to get used to the Ducati, but then he won two races in a row. We expect him to be fast. We don't know if that will be the case right away, but with his potential, he's not coming to Honda just to be on the track. »
