With his pole position at the end of qualifying then his third place at the finish of the first Sprint race in the history of Grands Prix, Marc Marquez impressed as much as he frightened on Sunday by causing a pileup during the Grand Prix of Portugal. But he has also once again placed his distinguished colleagues in another category who, from his teammate Mir to the satellite pilot Nakagami, have decided to adopt his strategy on the track this weekend in Argentina...
The team members of Marc Marquez change but the scenario always remains the same at Honda : they do not bear the comparison when taking stock of a Grand Prix and the first of 2023 in Portugal was no exception to the rule: we didn't see much of the three other RC213V drivers during the Portimao weekend. Joan mir of the Repsol factory team crashed in the Sprint race and finished 11th in the Grand Prix, Alex Rins was first 13th to then finish tenth and his teammate at LRC Takaaki Nakagami present the following combination: 15/12.
The Japanese who is in his sixth year of living thus under the yoke of the results of Marc Marquez commented : " it was difficult and our performance was not the best. I only found a rhythm once which wasn't so bad considering our situation. But we don't ride to collect a few points, but for good results » recalls the Japanese. “ We keep pushing, but we have a lot to do for the future ».
Taka Nakagami: “ we believe that we will obtain better results in Argentina than in Portimao“, despite the absence of Marc Marquez?
At Termas de Rio Hondo next weekend, Honda will only be with three pilots since Marc Marquez is out due to a broken thumb on his right hand after his accident on Sunday in the Algarve. “ Normally the Honda has worked well there in the past ", said Nakagami. “ This is why we believe that we will obtain better results there than in Portimao.”
He adds : " in Sepang and Portimao we had tests, then the race in Portugal. We collected a lot of data. Now is the time to understand where we are losing and where we can improve. We always work hard to have the best package to get the best possible result, it's that simple, it's the same for me ". Then he finishes: “ Marc showed potential, he performed well. I'm trying to close the gap with Marc and take a decent step forward in Argentina ».
MotoGP Portugal Portimao Race: classification
Credit classification motogp.com
