It could not have been with a victory, but Honda smiles again with a new podium. Marc Márquez went back to being the one he was before and got a second place that tastes of glory. A gift, as he himself said last Saturday, and that, in addition, feel much better after seeing that he is able to fight with a Ducati or, at least, follow him at the same level throughout the race. Pecco Bagnaia won the battle, in the same way that Andrea Dovizioso did in his day with the Italian brand’s motorcycle, although Marc himself admits that “with more speed in the curves”.
A second place gives, again Márquez, a new breath to the Japanese brand, who already looks to Austin as another opportunity to achieve a podium or, why not, fight for a victory (the Circuit of the Americas is another of the talismanic lines of the ilerdense due to its tendency to left curves). But, with this appointment still on the horizon, Alberto Puig, team manager of Repsol Honda, focuses on making a positive assessment of Márquez’s attitude at the Aragón GP, of which highlights his “great effort, while other Honda riders had many difficulties.” “Marc had a fantastic race; he tried everything and gave everything he had until the last moment. We are very happy to see him driving again in the lead “, adds the ex-pilot.
With his performance at Motorland Aragón, the eight-time world champion proved once again that the Honda is capable of winning and, at the very least, fight for victory. He even did it having to adapt his riding style, still affected by his arm injury and the decline in performance in his physique. Even with those, Puig highlights his work: “He did a good performance and we really appreciate this second podium of the year. Although he is not 100% physically fit, he managed to show the spirit and determination that have brought him where he is. “
And, after this motorcycling lesson, Puig was able to draw the best of the conclusions for the brand: “The important point that we get from MotorLand Aragón is that Marc’s DNA has not changed and he’s always trying, even when it’s nearly impossible, even when he probably knew the Ducati was stronger on the straight. He never gave up and for a brand like Honda, it’s important to have a driver like him. “ Because, in addition, they understand that “Bagnaia was very strong and made no mistakes.” Which reduced their chances of victory to a very low percentage, but the podium gives them “great enthusiasm and motivation to continue working and developing our bike, to continue raising the level and improving”.
Pol-Honda ‘tandem’ still not working
Silverstone seemed to shed the light at the end of the tunnel, but Motorland has brought them back to harsh reality. Pol Espargaró ended up far from Márquez, without understanding what it was that differentiated them so much on the track because, with the same motorcycle, the one from Granollers finished thirteenth, almost 20 seconds behind his boxing partner. “It wasn’t easy for Pol. He was missing some important things on the bike for his riding style, and he couldn’t perform like he did at Silverstone. On Sunday, he couldn’t master the bike the way he wanted. We have to keep trying and working with him. to solve these problems. Something is missing in the combination Pol-RC213V “, values Puig.
Now it only remains to think about the next race: Misano. An appointment that arrives already this week and where they will have the presence of their test pilot, Stefan Bradl, as wild card. In addition, after the grand prize, the drivers will stay in Italy because days later they will carry out a key test on the same circuit that will mark the future of the final appointments: “In many ways, it is even more important to us than the race. We have been trying to improve our bike, so our engineers will use this test to collect interesting data so that we can improve the bike for the future. “