We can say that the job of test pilot is not easy. It's not Stefan Bradl who will contradict us, because between the Valencian Community GP last weekend and the Portuguese GP this weekend, the HRC driver completed 121 laps in Jerez, joining the WSBK winter tests, to develop the RC213V of 2021. More than busy program for the German driver!
So, we saw him test a new air intake and a new much larger aerodynamic package which seems much more complex than the one we know.
Stefan Bradl was seen on track testing this new air intake. It is very different from the old one, which was much lower but wider. Here, it strongly resembles the Ducati air intake. A few factories have opted for this style of air intake, taller and narrower, with KTM having an air intake in this style. Yamaha switched from its recognizable air intake to a larger, narrower one this year and Ducati made the change last year.
Changes in air intake design are almost always related to changing the way airflow reaches the engine. More airflow through the engine generally means more power, but only up to a certain level. However, forcing air into the engine, and therefore generating more power, can change the way the engine delivers its power, so it's not always about finding more power, but to have a motorcycle that is easier to ride.
It's a little hard to see in this image, but Stefan Bradl was also testing a new aero package. The fins are larger and appear to have a few more features than the set currently used by Honda. Additionally, the lower set of fins, on the side fairing, is much larger. They also feature a slot in the bottom, making it a two-piece wing now, rather than a single solid surface.
Aerodynamics in MotoGP reaches new levels of complexity. Since motorcycles are not constantly on a horizontal plane, unlike their F1 counterparts, the puzzle for aerodynamic engineers is quite different. The rider needs effective fins when the bike is straight, like here, but generally ineffective fins in terms of corner support so as not to put too much weight on the front and cause a crash.
Here we understand better how the new aerodynamic package differs from the one they have been using for two seasons. This set looks much simpler, with fewer surfaces and edges.
This isn't the first time Honda has tried a different aerodynamic package in testing sessions this year. Takaaki Nakagami was seen on track with this package during the Misano test a few months ago. This aerodynamic fairing looked much more like the set they used from 2018, although this one is wider.
