What would Honda be without Marc Márquez? If we listen to the numbers, for pure statistics, the Japanese brand I would not know what it is to win since 2017 (when Pedrosa got his last victory with the team at the Valencia GP), but there is still more: HRC would not have fought for the World Cup since 2013 in which Dani, took the bronze. The rest of the milestones that the brand of the Golden Wing in the championship they have come from the hand of a pilot who, if he had not demonstrated enough with the data, only needed his absence for a season to capture what he means for the team. With the ilerdense out of the picture, the RC213V did not make it to the top step of the podium in 2020 where his best position was the two seconds of his brother Álex and once again, thanks to the eighth champion, the worst streak without wins (21) for HRC in the championship came to an end at the Sachsenring.
Reality says Honda relives a difficult year. Traction control on the Japanese mount is being one of the biggest burdens for its riders this season and since even the talent of a Márquez who is not yet 100% physically is enough to be competitive on a regular basis, the plan has established another roadmap that also has the champion as its starting point. The figure of Marc has so much weight within the brand that from Japan, they have begun to work based on the comments of the ilerdense. HRC prepares a “radical” change for 2022 That will especially affect the engine, but they will not put everything on one card.
“We have been developing for two years”, began by recognizing in Corsedimoto after the race at Red Bull Ring Takeo Yokoyama, HRC technical director, on the evolution of its engine. “As the current one was frozen, we had limitations due to the pandemic, but what we can demonstrate with the 2022 engine is that we have made a radical change from previous years. We do not want to reduce the power or the maximum speed, but improve braking, corner entry, mid-corner, acceleration and traction. The objective is to win a little in everything, “the Japanese continues, about a process in which not even Márquez’s injury has diminished the team’s confidence towards its star: “He’s the champion, the number one driver, we need him to win races. “
Priorities
The facts accompany the words that come from Honda to Márquez. In Assen, the RC213V mounted a new chassis with which only the ilerdense has, which makes his priorities clear: “We were only able to make one unit and we decided that Marc would try it.” It is forbidden to make mistakes, hence put all your trust in the pilot who has taken you to the top even competing at a disadvantage that in addition to the engine, at present, is also given by the performance of the rear tire.
When it comes to making that compound work Marc’s ‘feedback’ is still “very important”, Yokoyama argues, to confirm that they will continue working based on the opinions of the Cervera pilot: “It has given us many new ideas that should come in the second half of the season, we will continue working like this. “HRC wants to continue being part of history and now, together with the eighth champion, they know the way forward: “We are Honda, our goal will always be to be on top, where we were in the past and we will work for it. “