Honda is going through one of the most difficult times in its MotoGP history and Pol Espargaró points out the real problem of low reaction speed.
About Luigi Ciamburro de Motoracing
Pol I will espargaro took on the challenge of piloting a Honda during the 2021 MotoGP season. A contract officially announced even before the start of the 2020 World Championship, marked by the Covid pandemic and started in July. The first race on July 20 will be remembered with the accident of Marc Marquez. After a little over a year, Pol's choice turned out to be wrong: two podiums in a championship and a half, without ever seeing a victory.
A Assen, the Granollers driver retired after FP2 due to the after-effects of an accident suffered at the Sachsenring. Rib pain and respiratory problems forced him to anticipate the summer break, while waiting for a second part of the championship which will be just as difficult from a sporting point of view. The spark never flew between Pol I will espargaro and the Honda RC213V and the roads are about to split. 20 falls in 2021, 10 in 2020, the pilot pays dearly for certain errors made during development by HRC engineers.
Pol Espargaro: “there are many components that do not depend on us, for example tires"
During the MotoGP preseason, the new Honda looked like another motorcycle, then something happened that Pol tries to analyze in a long interview with 'Mundo Deportivo'. “ The bike at the start of the season and the current one have nothing to do with it. Neither in terms of handling nor technically. I didn't have a fall during the entire preseason! When you start having a lot of crashes, and they happen even when you are slow, something is wrong, it's a clear sign that something is not right. And modifying the motorcycle is not that simple. There are many components that do not depend on us, for example the tires... I am not pointing the finger at Michelin, but we have not been able to adapt like the other manufacturers ».
After the first race in Qatar, the four drivers Honda fell into a nightmare. Marc Marquez already complained during testing that the feeling with the front axle was not optimal, “ but he said that with this bike we would have done very well. That was the reality we were experiencing at that time. That's why we were shocked when things started to go wrong ". The end of the MotoGP calendar will help the manufacturer find solutions and react, but revising a way of working is not easy. A possible outcome would be to transfer the racing department to Europe…
According to Pol I will espargaro, the problems are upstream. “ The biggest problem is our reaction speed. We are very slow. We have issues, we have located them, but we are unable to test new parts. Since Qatar we tried a different frame, very similar to the one we had, and the same goes for a swingarm. That's all. In such a difficult situation, we are late in the system to lower the bike in acceleration, in aerodynamic development we have no grip. And we don't test anything to improve ».
The knot to resolve would be in Japan, in a philosophy of life and work far too slow for the era of MotoGP. “ I think they shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes! Safety is a priority for them, they do not want to test anything that could endanger the safety of the pilot. I think it's admirable and as a driver I really appreciate it ", concluded Pol I will espargaro. " But when things go wrong, sometimes you have to risk more ».
