There will be various issues to follow passionately in the Spanish Grand Prix which will occupy us this weekend near Jerez and at Honda, in particular it will be a question of observing what Alex Rins can get out of his RC213V. A subject which will also particularly concern Marc Marquez whose voice within the HRC could be covered by the one who has won 50% of the last six races, spread over the last three of 2022 with the Suzuki, and the first three of 2023 started with the Honda. Will the LCR pilot be able to be as imperial in Andalusia as he was in Texas? Test driver Stefan Bradl has an idea of the answer, which should reassure the eight-time world champion. But what is not reassuring is what the German also says about a new format which turns out to be one less chance for a manufacturer in difficulty to raise its head...
At Honda, will there be a before and after Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin? The last meeting of the MotoGP calendar in Texas indeed dedicated a Alex Rins riding an RC213V from the LCR satellite team which was in a technical configuration other than that Marc Marquez wants to prioritize. The two men from the same brand are expected to meet on the track this weekend in Jerez, and the event is anticipated by many.
However, for Stefan bradl, nothing exceptional should come of it. And he coldly explains why on speedweek : " I don't think Alex Rins' victory in Texas has any meaning for the other circuits. I still think he will have his problems with the Honda ". The German adds all the same: “ but what he did in Austin was exceptional. His record at COTA is truly excellent in all three classes. It's a very good track for him, on which he gets along very well with his driving style. I think it doesn't matter what bike he sits on. In terms of riding, Alex found something in Texas that gave him an advantage ". And he ends with this mention: “ it was definitely a top performance, because Alex is not up to date with the technology we currently have. But he did it ».
Stefan Bradl: “ during a Grand Prix weekend, the bikes are now set up specifically for qualifying »
Things should therefore get back to normal this weekend at Jerez, which also means that the Honda should return to the second part of the ranking... A crisis situation which can only continue according to a Stefan bradl who insists on the fact that the new Grand Prix format sucks a manufacturer that is in difficulty a little further into the abyss. Because, quite simply, he no longer has any room to maneuver to get out of it.
He explains his point of view thus: “ during a Grand Prix weekend, the motorcycles are now configured specifically for qualifications. There is hardly any opportunity left to put together a race setup for Sunday's long race ". And we can no longer prepare to face it, because of the new provision which provides for not being able to use only 200 tires per season, whereas until last year there were 240... " You don't have enough tires to try new components in private tests. You then have no way to simulate the new MotoGP format avec les deux séances d’essais libres le vendredi, la séance de qualification le samedi matin et le sprint le samedi. Parce que les “time attack” sont devenus de plus en plus importants lors d’un week-end de Grand Prix ».
« The demands and requirements in MotoGP have changed a lot in recent years » he adds again: “ overtaking has become more difficult, not only because all manufacturers can win today. Parameters like "dirty air", excessive temperature in the front tire when following an opponent, wing support, device operation, electronic systems, these are all small things that add up and cause then problems. If you don't control one of these complex building blocks, it will be difficult to get the maximum capacity of the motorcycle. And if you then only get 95% of the bike instead of 100%, you lose half a second. Then you are in 12th or 15th place, depending on the track " finished Stefan Bradl.
