Alberto Puig has responded to criticism from Michelin, which accused Honda of failing to adapt to the changes, following its comments after the Indonesian Grand Prix.
by
Le Indonesian Grand Prix been full of controversy. The condition of the track and the tires provided by Michelin were the topics that all the comments focused on. If all the drivers and teams have expressed their doubts, it is Honda which suffered the most from the consequences of Michelin's choice. Indeed, Pol Espargaro complained several times throughout the weekend and after the race. And Marc Márquez suffered a brutal accident during warm up which brought back his old vision problems. Something including Alberto Puig, team manager of Repsol Honda , talked.
Puig assured that after everything they had experienced this weekend, they should sit down and talk to Michelin . Something that didn't please Piero Taramasso, who responded to criticism from the former pilot. According to Michelin is Honda which did not know how to adapt to the tires, which did not happen with the rest of the brands. However, in comments collected by Motorsport, Alberto puig has once again attacked the French manufacturer. “ Well, frankly and in my personal opinion, I'm not very surprised. In my last post-race report, I only mentioned that we would have to analyze the situation with Michelin, that was it. And we have already seen how Mr. Taramasso reacted when he was contacted by the media: it was not at all necessary », started on team manager Repsol Honda.
Puig focused, above all, on accusations that Honda failed to adapt. “ It's a bit strange when he says, politely of course, that Honda doesn't know how to adapt. Honda has adapted to many technical changes, including different regulations, tires, engine sizes, classes, etc. since the creation of the world championship in 1966, and has been the oldest and most successful company in the history of grand prix, with 25 manufacturers' championships and 21 drivers' championships in the premier category. Does this mean that we do not know how to adapt? Well, this is the first time I've heard something like that.", did he declare.
Puig : “Taramasso becomes hypersensitive every time someone talks about tires"
In this sense, Michelin defends itself by ensuring that the choice of tires was based on the analysis of its data. Thing to which Puig also responded. “ From my own racing experience, you have to talk to the drivers first. Not with Apple, IBM or Dell, where you see a line on a computer. You have to listen to the drivers, and if you have drivers who are multiple world champions, you can assume that they know what they are doing. talk ", a insured Puig.
« In this paddock, manufacturers talk to manufacturers, drivers talk to the organizer. The IRTA discusses with the teams and often we do not agree on many points. But it is always within the limits of discussions and debates that we evolve and find the right solutions that allow us to move forward in the interest of all parties and the sport. Mr. Taramasso becomes hypersensitive whenever someone speaks directly about his tires without admitting any error on his part. This, from my point of view, is bad and too radical. We all make mistakes. Him too », are the arguments of the former pilot.
In response to Michelin's accusations, Puig pointed out that based on his experience as a driver, Michelin had made a mistake with the tires he took to Mandalika. “ My knowledge, or apparent misunderstanding as mentioned by Mr. Taramasso is not at all accurate. For your information, I raced for many years and had good results in the 90s, and precisely with Michelin tires. That's why I completely understand what a rider feels or needs when riding a motorcycle that offers more than 200 horsepower. In fact, you can only understand it if you have been a pilot. Si vous êtes dans un bureau ou devant un ordinateur, vous pouvez comprendre certaines choses, essentiellement la théorie. Mais vous ne comprendrez jamais la réalité, la sensation que vous procure une gomme “slick” » a-t-il expliqué.
« The tire that Michelin brought for the Grand Prix was used in Thailand and Austria a few years ago (2017/2018). Both of these circuits have long straights. Mandalika is completely different; a track without many long straights and in which the motorcycle is almost always at a lean angle or at the top of an embankment. These types of routes require good grip on the edges (of the tire). Obviously you don't need a very hard tire for this nature of track. This older carcass had and has its own issues, particularly regarding tire temperature. We can see that during the Mandalika weekend, most of the crashes occurred in the first two laps, a problem that was common with this 2018 tire and for which Michelin has developed new compounds He continues.
"Dans toutes les chutes il y a des éléments qui contribuent, les pneus font partie de l’équation"
Another problem that has been highly criticized is the fact that Michelin cannot change the tires with the development of the motorcycle based on completely different tires. “ In addition, we have to design a MotoGP around this season's tires. So, when they suddenly bring in those who are not the current ones, the situation becomes very complicated for all the teams. Honda wasn't the only manufacturer to see its riders' rhythm and feel suddenly disappear over the course of the weekend,” said Puig.
Finally, he also dedicated a few words to defend his pilots, Marc Márquez et Pol Espargaró. “ They are experts in competition and have been working and achieving great success in their field for many years and have produced very good results throughout these years of competition. I have been involved in racing for many years, and through that I have been able to understand that when a driver crashes and there is no obvious mechanical problem, then it is driver error. But in all accidents there are elements that contribute to the accident and tires are part of the equation», said the Honda team manager.
« “Si M. Taramasso ne peut pas comprendre ou accepter cela, alors je ne comprends pas son état d’esprit ou son approche. Il y a beaucoup de monde dans ce paddock qui passe la journée à parler de tout. Ce n’est pas mon cas. Je ne parle pas beaucoup. Je ne parle que lorsqu’on me demande de parler ou que j’ai quelque chose à dire. La situation de Mandalika en est un exemple clair, et la seule chose que j’ai dite, c’est qu’il fallait parler profondément avec Michelin. Telle est la question. Il y a eu une réaction brutale simplement pour vouloir comprendre ce qui s’est passé. Mr. Taramasso must understand that if any of my riders have any problems or doubts about anything related to our motorcycle, it is my job, my responsibility, as a team leader, to investigate the matter and provide solutions to my pilots. I understand that it's my job, I do it like that and I'm not going to change He concludes.
