The bleakness of Honda MotoGP’s problems came to light after the Barcelona Grand Prix

After the four Hondas finished in the bottom four at Friday’s race finish in Barcelona, ​​Marquez offered a moment of relief when he made it into the second section.

Eight-time World Champion KTM’s Jack Miller remained as a reference for achieving a good enough time for second, although he later admitted that after that “real lap” he didn’t want to compete in Division Two because he knew twelfth was all he could get. . Manages.

This proved to be the case, as he was seven-tenths slower in Q2 than he achieved in the first part of qualifying, going from 1m 39.070s to 1m 39.7s.

And after a few fighting early laps in a race in which he finished seventh, he dropped back to 11th, 11.8 seconds behind winner Aleix Espargaro.

Márquez felt it was a “good day” and it was “strange to say” for him given the results, and noted that moments like the first section and the first laps of the race were “important” for his confidence to “show that I’m still there”.

In the end, I finished the race for me “Situation,” Marquis began. “But it is true that the real performance of the bike alone [on track] He was able to do 1 minute 39.7 seconds, 1 minute 39.6 seconds and 1 minute 39.8 seconds. As it did in Q2.

“In the second section I tried to follow Pico [Bagnaia] But after three corners I was on my own, he was gone, so I did the lap on my own. And then in the first section, I was able to find the perfect lap with a bike that’s not quite the Ducati, just a little slower, and a different riding style. And I was able to follow Miller and do a real tour.

“When I stopped in the penalty area I said I didn’t want to go out in the second section because it was enough to finish 12th. It’s not the best way, but it’s one of my ability to follow the others. But in the race, after a good start, the pace for the first five and six laps was amazing.

“I was pushing more, I was driving at the limit and I could have had an accident there because I was pushing my limits. But when I saw I was able to follow them a little bit, I started to feel grainy and said ‘Okay, now it’s time to come back’. [down] And finish the race.

“For me it’s important, it’s some moments, individual moments, but it’s important for my self-confidence. More than the result. To show that I’m still there, because at the end you start to have some self-doubt even if you’re so far away.

His Honda teammate Joan Mir finished the sprint with a lap of 19.574 seconds in last place on the 2020 circuit which ultimately marked the beginning of his run to the championship with Suzuki.

Meer says his lack of traction on his Honda, even relative to the rest of the RC213V racers, resulted in “the worst feeling of my life on a motorcycle,” and calls this “unacceptable.”

“Honestly, it’s hard for me to be in front of you and talk about racing because I had the worst feeling of my life on a motorcycle,” Mir, who recently admitted he is considering retiring amid Honda’s current woes, said on Saturday.

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Gold and the Geese / Motorsport Pictures

“It’s unbelievable. I was losing acceleration even with other Hondas. I don’t really understand what happened.

“I know our grip isn’t great. There are a lot of corners here that reveal our weaknesses and we’re trying to get through them. But honestly I couldn’t control that spin.

“I was just opening the throttle and not moving. I was losing at least two or three tenths in the last turn compared to the other Hondas.

“I need answers because everyone knows how to open the throttle. The other thing is to brake, to go into the corners, where I think we are strong. But what happened in the race was unacceptable.”