At Honda things are not getting better if we take into account this latest news which affects the drivers. A workforce definitely put to the test, and more than anywhere else, which still calls into question the safety of this RC213V. We know that Marc Marquez is recovering from a fourth operation in two years on his right humerus. Taka Nakagami, for his part, has had a more than painful shoulder since the Catalan Grand Prix. For his part, Pol Espargaró suffered so much from his ribs crumpled by his successive falls that he threw in the towel in the middle of the Dutch Grand Prix while the reinforcement, tester as well as freelancer Stefan Bradl ended up with a burned foot his home race on the Sachsenring. End of series ? Nope. Surgery awaits the one who currently replaces the eight-time World Champion…
Circumstances unfavorable to Marc Marquez have made Stefan bradl in Honda much more than a simple test driver like you can find with other brands. To realize this, it should be noted that the German has competed in more races since the start of the 2020 MotoGP season in Jerez than the eight-time World Champion. And while the other regular riders are enjoying a five-week summer break, the 2 Moto2011 World Champion will be in Jerez this week to evaluate new components for the Honda RC213V.
Real slave labor because during race weekends, Stefan bradl noted the acceleration of performances in MotoGP and the rise in quality of the level. It is far from the mark, which did not fail to note Alberto Puig, but to better highlight his dedication: “ he helps us to have a driver on the grid, he's doing more than decent times, but not at the level of a regular driver, that's obvious », Specified the boss of Team Repsol Honda in relation to the performance of his test driver.
Stefan bradl, like the other drivers Honda, also suffers from the performance issues of the RC213V. Despite having participated in half as many races as the rest of the championship's riders, the German has already racked up six accidents this year aboard the Honda. This is the same number as, for example, the beginner Fabio DiGiannantonio or the HRC driver, Takaaki Nakagami.
Stefan Bradl: “je ne serais peut-être pas épargné par une opération cet hiver"
It is one of his falls, suffered in Catalonia, which concerns him today. She warns about his left knee in a worrying way because it reminds him of the ordeal he has already suffered on his right knee… “ Since, I sometimes felt pain in my left knee, who was very swollen the morning after the race in Catalonia ", said Stefan bradl, who still participated in the Monday test in Barcelona.
« Sometimes I have pain in my left knee since. I have already consulted specialists, apparently the meniscus was affected » he admits. “ But I protect the knee joints by avoiding unnecessary strain during training and I train more with the racing motorcycle ". And he lets go speedweek : " If the symptoms do not improve permanently, I may not be spared an operation this winter ».
It would not be the first time that the German had gone under the knife for a meniscus problem. In 2020, during the warm-up of the Algarve Grand Prix at Portimao, he crashed, a shock that directly hit that cartilaginous piece of his right leg, which then led to surgery to fix the problem.
In principle, unless the pain in the left knee gets worse over the weeks, Stefan bradl should be able to complete the current season of the MotoGP Championship if Marc Marquez does not reappear before the final in Valencia, scheduled for November 6. But if the situation were to get worse, Honda would perhaps find itself obliged to draw from its WSBK pool, where we find Iker lecuona et Xavi Virgo.
