Honda, the manufacturer that sells the most motorcycles worldwide, continues to sink in the MotoGP standings, its biggest showcase for the two-wheeled division. In terms of results, the 2024 World Championship has started even worse than last year, with its four riders at the bottom of the championship standings as of today. It is not encouraging after having seen how the deep competitive crisis dismounted the championship’s biggest figure, literally and metaphorically, from his machine. Not even Marc Márquez’s traumatic departure has triggered an obvious reaction, although the team’s top brass assures that behind the scenes there have been more changes than what is evident on the asphalt.
“At a structural level, in Japan, at the factory, there have been important changes that have not yet been translated on the track or in Europe,” explains Alberto Puig, sporting director of the golden wing brand, to EL PAÍS. “The changes have been made, but it is clear that they are not enough. We continue to remodel, but we are still in the process of achieving what was intended, to turn the situation around,” he adds. In the Asian headquarters, HRC has merged its two- and four-wheel development departments, seeking synergies between MotoGP and Formula 1 engineers. There has also been a facelift in the leadership of the motorcycling project and the global racing department, among other elements. In Europe, where most of the personnel transferred to the circuits reside, the structure has hardly changed.
“We are having a much harder time recovering performance than we would like and expect,” admits the former rider, with more than 35 years of experience within the company. “Not only do we have to change the system, but also the people. In Europe there are very good technicians, with a lot of experience, but not everyone is available. Within what is possible, we are looking for possibilities,” he says. Last year, Honda tried to sign Gigi Dall’Igna, the guru of the premier class who has made Ducati the absolute reference, and the guy for whom Márquez decided to leave everything. Puig points to the consequences of Covid-19 and the enormous risks that Europeans take as two key elements to understand the persistent crisis of his team.
“I know that in Japan they are working very hard, but I have been here for a year and we are the same or worse than then,” laments Joan Mir, 2020 world champion with Suzuki, 18th in the standings. In Assen, he and his teammate finished last in practice, more than two seconds behind the reference time of Pecco Bagnaia, author of the pole and winner of the sprint. At the Dutch GP (14:00, DAZN), no miracles are expected. The Mallorcan, who is very critical of the ups and downs and rhythms of the factory, is finalising his renewal for another two years these days. Although the situation has made him desperate to the point of considering retirement, a feeling that Márquez also had last year, he says that it would feel like a personal failure to abandon ship when they are unable to bail out the water.
He continues to insist on a basic need, and exemplifies it by looking in the mirror of Yamaha, which is going through a similar bump, but is capable of sticking its head out and being with those above from time to time. “At the level of effort we are in the same situation, trying to work to get closer to the Europeans. At Yamaha they are being very aggressive in terms of trying things. We are being much more aggressive than in the past, but I don’t know if it is at Yamaha’s level,” he adds.
His new teammate, Luca Marini, brother of Valentino Rossi and one of the most applauded drivers on the grid for his technical knowledge and analytical ability, is confident in the development direction taken. “You have to trust the Japanese, the method is different from that of the Italian engineers, but they are precise, strong and want to understand everything very well. Our job is to explain the problems very well, to convey the appropriate information, and I feel that we are very connected and doing a good job in this sense,” he says, comparing his new environment with his days at Ducati. “They want to understand everything, be sure that everything works before putting it on the track. They don’t want to risk something breaking and that could cause a problem for the pilot,” he details. He does not criticize it, but it is undoubtedly one of the reasons why the Japanese resurgence is delayed when the Europeans are capable of creating a new part overnight and testing it in a GP in just a couple of weeks.
The roadmap seems set with the Mir and Marini tandem tied up for another year. The big change will come, if nothing goes wrong, in the test team. Aleix Espargaró, the most experienced rider on the grid, will land at Honda to lead the development of the bike after announcing his retirement at Montmeló and abandoning the Aprilia project, which he has turned into a winner from its foundations. Although they still cannot see the shore, the Japanese continue to row with hope.
Puig’s philosophy illustrates his resilience despite poor results. “Here you have to hold your own and give your all. When things don’t go well, the easiest thing to do is to leave, but I’m not one to throw in the towel,” says the executive, in the paddock since 1987 and with rope for a while. No one can doubt the heart and commitment of the members of the most successful team in history, with a total of 21 drivers’ titles and 25 constructors’ titles, the last of them in 2019.
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