This first day of testing was not very favorable to Honda. With ninth place for Marc Marquez and thirteenth for Dani Pedrosa, the two official drivers were clearly preceded by the RC213V of Cal Crutchlow. But it is not normal to find the reigning World Champion behind the rookie Jonas Folger and the Honda technicians will have to think carefully this evening to redress the situation tomorrow. Weather permitting.
Marc Marquez:
“The feeling today was not so bad considering that the first day after the holidays is always a bit demanding for the driver and the team. We tested two bikes with different engine configurations, but mostly focused on one, playing with electronics, geometry, installation and so on.
“We have collected a lot of information and we will continue to work. We also decided to make the best use of the situation when the rain arrived and I did a few laps in the wet, but we are looking forward to continuing testing in the dry tomorrow to better understand and exploit the potential of our bike. »
Dani Pedrosa:
“Today I got used to my bike again, to the track and the tires, and I also rode for the first time on the new asphalt here in Sepang. We have started working on the bike, as we have two different engine configurations to test.
“We mainly worked with a motorcycle. We also had a chance to ride this bike on the water, and we got some good information. I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow, and I think we'll be able to go further in testing than we did today. »
