It is difficult to understand how, while the dealerships were completely open, Honda was unable to present any advanced basic prototypes, or any major parts worth mentioning, at the first 2025 pre-season tests, held on Tuesday in Barcelona, which infuriated his theorist. reference driver, Joan Mir.
“The test was not productive at all,” said the Mallorcan. “We didn't get anything positive, no obvious new features to improve the whole bike. Nothing more to say,” he added angrily. “We found work where there wasn't any. The reality was that I didn't have a lot of things to try, I had tried everything twice before, that's kind of what happened. past We expect more from such an important end of the year “There is not much more,” expressed the Honda driver.
Alberto Puig, team manager of the official Honda team in MotoGP, wanted to calm things down a little and justify, in some way, the inaction of the Tokyo manufacturer during the Barcelona tests.
“We had three important things to test, which we tested throughout the year, but we don't have a prototype as such,” he explained on DAZN.
“We are working with different issues on the bike, for stability, braking, vibration… It's not easy to resolve the vibration. It's not the typical clicking (bounce), it's something “It affects the pilot a lot. This is what worries us the most,” he said, referring to a problem that has mainly affected Mir since the beginning of September and that, since then, they failed to resolve.
The fact that dealerships have been open since the start of the season has allowed Honda to make many changes, try different things and carry out thousands of kilometers of private testing.
Luca Marini, Honda Racing
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“The 2025 prototype is built when you have something that works for you,” Puig said. “Since we did so much testing over the year, it didn't make sense to bring the prototype here. over the year, we tested a lot of things, and it didn't make sense. sense of bringing a 'black' bike here when we've had a 'black' bike “for much of the year,” he said.
Honda, thanks to the concessions, will carry out two-day tests next week in Jerez, where what Mir missed on Tuesday in Barcelona could happen. “I hope they surprise us,” admitted the Mallorcan.
Last in all rankings
Look and Luca Marinithe two official Honda drivers finished 21st and 22nd respectively, the last two, 487 and 494 points behind the champion. Jorge Martin. In the manufacturers' standings, Honda is fifth (last) with only 75 points, 647 points behind Ducati and 49 behind Yamaha, with half as many riders (2). In teams, Repsol Honda finished last (11th) with 35 points a849 from Ducati and behind LCR-Honda, penultimate. Worse, impossible.
“We finished the year with the feeling of having progressed,” Puig said. “The bike wasn't running very well, and after Misano it started to do so, now it's running well,” he said.
Aleix Espargaro, Honda Racing
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At the Barcelona test, the veteran made his debut as HRC's new test driver. Aleix Espargarowho during his first experience with the RC213V was already driving faster than Mir and Marini. The Catalan (14th) dropped to 1.40.007, while Joan was 15th with 63 thousandths and the Italian 18th with two tenths.
“Aleix has speed. We are very happy with the way he expressed his opinion about his bike, very clear and direct. I liked the force with which he spoke, very impartial. He gave us very interesting information,” he explained. .Puig.
The one who was not, at least visibly, in Montmeló was the new technical director of Honda, the Italian signed from Aprilia Romano Albesiano, who according to Puig will start working on January 2, since until the end of the year or has a contract with the house of Noale.
manager” width=”1200″ height=”800″ loading=”lazy”/> Alberto Puig, Team Principal Repsol Honda Team, Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Racing manager
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
