Honda engineers have been working hard since last year to develop the RC213V and return it to victory. And this weekend, in Germany, Marc Marquez pleased more than one under the HRC awning where heads were starting to wobble. In addition to counting an extraordinary driver among them, the technical teams have made changes to the machine. Both Repsol Honda riders and Alex Marquez used a new aerodynamic package at the Sachsenring, with wings similar in style to those used by Yamaha.
Honda approved last Friday, for the start of the German Grand Prix, a new aerodynamic fairing, qwhich was tested during the Official Tests in Barcelona 2 weeks ago. The 2 Repsol Honda riders, as well as Alex Marquez from Team LCR, used it during the weekend. It's relatively different from the old one, as the chunky, angular "bow tie" design they've had for the last two seasons is gone.
This new design looks much more like Yamaha's, with a single element coming out of the air intake to seamlessly join the side fairings a little lower down. It appears that Honda chose to use it here because it provides less overall downforce. This makes sense for the Sachsenring as it's a circuit where there aren't many intense acceleration zones, with most of the lap being spent on the corner.
Here's a photo of Marc Marquez diving into the famous 'Waterfall', just out of turn 11, using the new aerodynamic package.
It also uses the 2020 chassis, which is easily identifiable compared to the 2021 chassis due to the absence of carbon on the main beam, while his teammate uses the 2021.
The exhaust pipe designer's job is to create a wide enough engine torque zone that the rider, using the gearbox, can keep the engine in that zone most of the time. However, it seems that Marc Marquez prefers the engine behavior provided by the old exhaust, since it also returned to this version, with a larger diameter. If we compare to the photo below, the difference is obvious.
In this photo, it is Pol Espargaro in the same corner, with the 2021 chassis, the latest generation exhaust but also the old aerodynamic package. It is important to note that Pol Espargaro also used the new aerodynamic package during FP2, but he crashed with it, following a loss of the front at turn 3. Nevertheless, he was able to use it in the rest of the race. WE, and in particular this Sunday during the race.
Have the new fins made a big difference? Not much, but it was enough, according to Pol Espargaro. “We tried it in Barcelona”, as the Spanish driver pointed out. “We approved it. I used them in FP2. I wanted to go to the track with the old version and check how the bike was. Then I saw Marc go there straight away, and he was performing well, so I wanted to try it and it was OK, it was good. »
Takaaki Nakagami used the old aerodynamics and was relatively fast during testing. The difference was therefore certainly debatable, more a question of feeling. The Japanese driver also tested the new fairing in Barcelona, but was not convinced. “We tested it in Montmelo but honestly, I didn’t feel a huge difference”, according to the LCR Honda rider. “In some areas, I preferred the old one. I think this weekend I won't use the new one and we'll keep the standard one. I don't feel any big advantage. »
As for Alex Marquez, despite his retirement from the race, he also used the new aerodynamic package.
Photos: Dorna Sports
