Honda's misfortunes continue and, already, at the end of the day on Friday, we were wondering about the abilities of Pol Espargaró and Taka Nakagami to continue their Dutch Grand Prix because their physical condition was so degraded. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, his fears were verified as he ended up throwing in the towel but the Japanese is still holding on. He is even the one who carries the brand at arm's length at Assen, having qualified directly in a Q2 finished in 12th place. But the hardest part is yet to come…
Taka Nakagami like the layout ofAssen which reminds him of one of his two Grand Prix victories. It was 2016 and he was in Moto2. Here we are in 2022 and in MotoGP, with the almost certainty that he will not be part of the 2023 squad. But he is still a regular rider Honda, a pride that came out when he made a point of qualifying in the top 5 of FP3 which gave him his ticket for Q2.
However, the LCR driver was not able to shine during this qualifying final from which he returned with last place. He explains : " there were yellow flags, but I also made mistakes. I never felt like I could do a 1'31 lap. We need to find out how we can improve for a fast lap in qualifying. When I try to attack, it's difficult to get the most out of the bike. Then suddenly everything is completely different. We try a lot of things and give HRC as much data as possible. We were fast on one lap, but we lacked it in the race. Now it's the other way around ».
Taka Nakagami: “ I took painkillers, I have the strongest, but it's not strong enough«
The 30-year-old pilot continues: “ my running pace is not as good as Quartararo's, but it is quite fast. I can't follow Fabio, but maybe it's enough for the second group ". However, there is a problem, and it is a big one… “ I worry about my physical condition. In the morning after getting up I was in pain, today I took painkillers. I have the strongest one, but it's not strong enough. I don't know how I can complete the race distance like that. You have to be in good shape in Assen, especially the third and fourth sectors which are very tiring. Changing direction is not easy for me, I have to put in a lot of effort. I have to force the bike to do it, which in turn causes pain ».
Meanwhile, the brand's colleagues Alex Marquez et Stefan bradl didn't make it out of Q1, and they only qualified 21st and 18th on the grid. Pol Espargaro threw in the towel and Marc Marquez is convalescing. In terms of general atmosphere, we must refer to this edifying statement from the test pilot Stefan bradl : " Right now, Honda has a lot of questions to ask. We need to think about where and how we can improve, also in terms of communication between the team and the drivers »...
MotoGP Assen J2: qualifying
Credit classification motogp.com
