Dani Pedrosa's participation in the last San Marino Grand Prix in Misano was, on paper, just another wild card in the program of the man who is now a KTM test rider. It was even his last scheduled this year. But as in the first appearance at Jerez, the 37-year-old Spaniard did much more than just the numbers on the starting grid. He was at the forefront at every moment and amazed the whole gallery with his intact speed and the purity of his driving. It is certainly a high added value to KTM's RC16 program, but it is also a subject on the level of the next generation which is at the top of the list today. It also further highlights the mistakes of the bosses at Honda Repsol, who let go of this driver whom he had known very well for 18 years. One more bad decision to add to the open file on the collapse of the HRC house in the Grand Prix. And it's not Jorge Lorenzo who will say the opposite.
Besides, not only does he not say it, but, what's more, he drives the point home. On GP One, we thus discover his analysis distilled on DAZN: “ given the circumstances that Honda has been facing for the last four or five years, starting with Marc Marquez's injury, I'm sure they would be infinitely in a better situation if they had kept Dani Pedrosa as test driver ».
Jorge Lorenzo: “ Marc Marquez may be stronger than Dani Pedrosa but technique and feel are more important than speed »
Jorge Lorenzo know well Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa and also Honda. Through the seasons spent both with them and against them, the five-time World Champion has formed this opinion: “ the merits he has had throughout history are enormous. I have never seen such a small rider achieve so many victories in MotoGP. This never happened, which shows the technique he had to develop to achieve this ».
He adds : " on a technical, intellectual and emotional level, Pedrosa is a super sensitive driver which helps a lot in understanding which parts are good and which are not. He proved it in KTM and Honda lost a lot with his departure ».
More Honda bet everything on Marc Marquez, also under the impulse byAlberto Puig, former manager of Pedrosa, who changed his mind about his rider as soon as he became Repsol Honda team manager. There was the prosperous period of results, but with an RC213V living only on its achievements, like a lark’s mirror: “ in principle, Marc Marquez can be stronger than Dani, more champion or faster, even if not on all circuits. But Dani, in terms of technique and sensitivity, had to become a pilot extremely sensitive to all details, and in this regard he is without a doubt one of the best. To be a good test rider, technique and feel are more important than speed » ends “Por Fuera”.
