Honda admits: “We are still searching for answers despite new parts”
Honda is facing a difficult phase in MotoGP, with no signs of improvement in sight. Team manager Alberto Puig recently admitted that “we’re still looking for answers” even though we’ve brought a lot of new parts to the bike. This statement came after a rain-affected test at Mugello, where the team tried out various improvements in the hope of solving performance issues.
Joan Mir, who is in his second year with Honda, has had a particularly challenging season. The 2020 MotoGP champion suffered a series of accidents, including one at the Italian Grand Prix. After the race, Mir commented on the post-race test: “Obviously we had to change our plans because it wasn’t the best day to test. We went out early and managed to get some laps in the dry and wet. .”
The lack of significant progress during the test left Mir and the team frustrated. “There wasn’t a lot of wet training during the season, so it was a chance to work on adapting to these conditions,” explained Mir. “It wasn’t a wasted day because we managed to make some progress in the wet, but in the dry we didn’t make much progress.”
On the other side of the Honda garage, Luca Marini is also having trouble adjusting to the RC213V. Despite Mugello being a home track for the Italian, the former Ducati rider was again at the back of the field during the Grand Prix. Marini was able to work on some new parts, but the rain significantly affected the one-day test.
“The rain didn’t offer the best conditions, but it was good to be able to test the bike more in the wet as we need to improve in that area,” Marini said. “Finally we had an interesting day and managed to try some new things on the bike. Now we have time to analyze everything and understand the full plan moving forward. The whole team is working hard and putting in a lot of effort, there is still more work to do, but we’re on our way.”
Honda’s MotoGP situation has been a major point of discussion heading into 2024, with rumors that Joan Mir could retire from the sport due to ongoing problems. The team uses all available concessions and brings many new features to try to find a solution. “Usually when you try a lot of things, it’s because you don’t have a clear answer to your problems yet, and that’s why you see so many specs and different parts,” Puig explained. “We’re trying to use the testing team that we have, the grants, and so we’re bringing in a lot of new things to see how it works.”
In short, Honda is constantly looking for answers to its MotoGP woes, testing numerous new parts and setups, but so far without significant success. Time will tell if these efforts lead to an improvement in team performance.
