Marc Marquez will not only be absent from this last Grand Prix in Valencia. He will also be missed a lot during an off-season which had always been presented until then as strategically essential, a high priority with the eight-time world champion on maneuver to prepare well for 2022. This will unfortunately not be the case, unless the problems vision does not resolve quickly. Honda is therefore reviewing its plans by increasing responsibilities for Pol Espargaró who will be alone this weekend in the Repsol stand. Bradl is preserved. And then we have to think about after Marc Marquez…
What suffers Marc Marquez is more complicated than the already complex concern of a right arm recovering from three operations. Because if we know what the convalescence times are for an operated fracture, we know nothing about the time it will take for the eight-time World Champion to regain his full visual acuity. This can happen very quickly or very slowly or even never.
Honda must therefore react. In the short term first. Fact Pol Espargaro will be alone in this Valencia Grand Prix. The test pilot Stefan bradl is preserved because he will test next Monday in Jerez, probably also Tuesday and Wednesday, weather permitting. Pol Espargaro, Alex Marquez et Taka Nakagami will also take part in the official IRTA MotoGP tests in Jerez, where the prototypes for 2022 will be tested. This bike was first seen at the Misano test on September 21-22.
« I will then test again in Jerez in mid-December, like in previous years ", has indicated Stefan Bradl. " I hope the weather will also play a role. So my schedule doesn't include a long break. For me, there is actually no winter vacation. As a test pilot, I am not affected by the test ban in December and January ».
Pol Espargaro: “ Marc's absence is a big blow for the factory and the Honda team«
As for Pol Espargaro, we are aware of the responsibility that has just fallen on his shoulders: “ I don't think it's a formality, obviously Marc's absence is a hard blow for the factory and for the team. But sometimes these are things that cannot be decided. These are things that happen and you have to deal with them as they come » he declared in Valencia. He adds : " I want to be in the Jerez test as the one who can continue to improve the bike. The evolution this year has been progressive and very positive and I think that in the development work we are doing a good job and the bike is improving, it is super rewarding and very important for next season ».
However, it will not be simple: “ I am lucky to have an excellent technical team with Ramon Aurin, who has been at Honda for many years. This makes things a lot easier for me, but I admit that it is much more complicated than what I have seen in the past “, he says, comparing it with his KTM experience. However, the stakes are immense. We will indeed recall the words of Marc Marquez about the 2022 RC213V project. He had spoken of “ one of the biggest differences » since he was driving for Honda and spoke about »a different concept"
But it's not just the horizon MotoGP 2022 to think about Honda. There is also the subject of after Marc Marquez, a pilot certainly extraordinary, but now diminished and who will be 30 years old at the end of his current contract. You have to force yourself to think about what’s next. We can bet on future activity by the men of HRC on the transfer market. Young people grow, Joan mir expects a lot from Suzuki, fabio quartararo declared itself open to discussions with a view to 2023, Iker Lecuona joins the Tokyo family via the WSBK and the contract of Jack Miller with Ducati ends in 2022… Everything is possible.
