Marc Marquez and Honda they lived one of the greatest love stories that have been witnessed in MotoGP. It was the idyllic relationship with a motorcycle that worked and a pilot who appreciated the work in the form of titles. Nothing could go wrong and in the face of difficulties, the pilot who enlarged the history of the brand with the golden wing in the World Cup was in charge of putting the rest to vindicate his gratitude towards a factory next to which he it reached its peak in the last renovation. The eighth champion with HRC was an unconditional love that was reflected in the longest contract in the history of the premier class. Four years that at the first change were cut short with an injury (Sherry 2020) from which all evils derive from the Japanese manufacturer. The development of the RC213V went adrift and on the last visit to Sachsenring, it was considered a possible break between the Asian giant and its star.
Marc decided not to race after five falls (the last and final due to ears) that left him physically impaired. So his commitment to Honda was questioned and although only a week later he was back on the bike in Assen, the rumors did not disappear about a relationship that from within, they do not question. “Marc Márquez continues to give his 100% or even more”, acknowledged BradlHRC tester, in GPOne after the Dutch GP. The ilerdense “keeps trying” everything, “although he realizes that the bike and the tools it has are not prepared for that level”. Hence, it is repeatedly with the limits.
to this 2023 Márquez arrived in his best physical condition of the last three years, at least. And the objective in his head was clear: to win again. However he met a delayed prototype compared to the rest of the mounts that it did not correspond to that ambition of an eight-time champion to whom Bradl is clear that they will not change “in terms of how he has to ride the bike.” Everything that Marc is doing now has worked for him in the past, however, the German highlights that now within HRC it is time to “keep calm and try to get back to a decent level, Step by Step”. Are they capable in Tokyo of doing it? Yes, but “it will take time”: “The current situation can be fixed and I am also sure that Honda has the potential and the team to do it.”
At the factory they are many years behind schedule. Bradl explains: “Our performance hasn’t dropped massively in one, two or three months. It is the consequence of a process of several years and now, it will probably take a similar time to return to a decent level. The German fully trusts in the resurgence of Honda despite the fact that in the last tests they have not tested “nothing special or anything crazy that is going to completely change our bike”. But at least at the electronics level they worked “to help improve rider safety”, a relevant detail given the number of drags (26 in the official team) that Honda riders accumulate in the first half of the championship. So saving the falls would already be an important step and recovering competitiveness, a matter of time. Just because, “it would take something crazy to get out of this situation”, but Stefan remembers the reality: “We all know the Japanese mentality and You cannot expect to change a company in a week”.