MotoGP, merciless Livio Suppo: “Honda no longer has any excuses”

While the start of the 2023 MotoGP season is fast approaching, and it will take place in Sepang for the start of tests with the starting riders on February 10, predictions and other predictions are going well among paddock specialists. Certain questions are significant and among them we find all the questions about the Honda case. The illustrious Tokyo firm is in a very delicate position from which it must emerge in 2023. Because one of its former executives Livio Suppo points out that between the latest recruitments and the final decisions taken, HRC will no longer have apologies in the event of another failure on his RC213V.   

If the engineers Honda did not yet have enough pressure in view of the MotoGP season which is coming, here is a new batch brought by Livio Suppo. The last team manager in the history of an official structure Suzuki in Grand Prix executed by its own leaders gives its vision on the situation of a team Honda which he also knows very well. An interesting expertise since the latest recruitments made by HRC come from Suzuki…

Thus, in addition to having shown Akrapovic and an original swingarm Kalex, Honda, after having reorganized the assignments of his chief mechanics, went to find Ken Kawauchi which is the third take on the Suzuki ruin field after that of Joan mir andAlex Rins. It all adds up to a solid whole, so much so that it cannot be called into question in the event of another failure...

And that will be the whole point of this 2023 campaign for Honda. Livio Suppo, Racing Consultant explains thus on motogp.com : " Honda now has two former world champions “, launched the Italian who added: “ and also a driver who has won two of the last three races like Nakagami, who has proven that he is far from a slow driver. They don't have any rookies. They have four good drivers. Three of them are capable of winning races, two of them have won a Championship, so they will not be able to blame the drivers if the performance is not there, there will be no more excuses ».

« Sometimes, when the results don't come, it's easy for the technicians to say yes but the bike is good, look at Marc or Casey. And the other pilots feel the pressure " Explain suppo. “ But, on paper, they have a very solid line-up. We all know what these drivers can do, so if they can't do what we know they can do, the bike is a problem. You can be sure that if the results don't come, then the problem is clearly the bike ».

Livio Suppo: “ they were only able to drive an inline four-cylinder engine, and drivers in the paddock will tell you it's easier to drive than the V4« 

Livio Suppo, Racing Consultant knows very well Joan Mir et alex rins for having been their stable manager under the awning Suzuki last year. And he has no doubts about their ability to meet the challenge Honda, however with one element to take into account and too often forgotten… “ Joan and Alex only have experience with Suzuki in MotoGP », he points out. “ They were only able to race an inline-four engine, and drivers in the paddock will tell you it's easier to drive than the V4. But if they can get rid of that and approach the bike like any other bike, I think it will help them. ».

And then there is of course Marc Marquez... " It won't be easy that's for sure because they have a very difficult reference inside because Marc is Marc. It's been ten years since anyone was able to score more points than him in a season on the same bike. The last time Honda won a race without Marc was 2017, which is a very long time ».

« They have a difficult challenge ahead of them, that much is obvious. But I believe both can do it. They are both super talented and with the right approach, the right mindset, I think they can have good seasons. It depends on the bike, of course, but I have no doubt about the talent of Joan and Alex, if they don't get lost, this talent will be seen. They both have two-year contracts with HRC. I think that's enough time to get used to a new setup and enough to prove they're fast. Every year we start from scratch and everyone has the same opportunity. Even though the gap between Honda and Ducati, which is the best bike on the market, is huge, I still think they can have a good season » concludes Livio Suppo.