He had it so clear with 35 laps, after having ridden half a day, that he had four hours left in the afternoon to issue his verdict: the new 2024 Honda does not convince Marc Márquez. It is more of the same.
“Of course the bike means quite a different riding style, but in the end the problems are more or less the same.” His performance left no doubt: the multiple champion is still a worldly rider with the Honda, 17th in the Misano tests, penultimate in MotoGP, 1.023 seconds behind the fastest of the morning... a Ducati, that of Luca Marini .
Marc Márquez's disappointed face surrounded by the international press at the Misano circuit could not be more eloquent. He brought forward his appearance to the lunch break – without waiting to complete the session in the afternoon, in which he improved 6 tenths and finished 14th – to present his impressions: that the new 2024 Honda does not meet expectations minimum of him. Although Márquez did not comment on his future.
“Yes, it is a different bike in terms of riding position and sensations, but the problems remain the same. The performance and lap time, which is what rules in this sport, is the same.” Therefore, the disappointment could hardly be hidden in '93.
–Are you disappointed? -they hit him point-blank.
–In a test, a driver always expects a lot, always hopes to take a step forward in lap time. In this case the sensations are different, but the lap time is very similar. If this is the base, with the motorcycle we are far away. We have to work and change many things. We must continue to understand it and take steps for the future to get closer to those who set the benchmark... –expressed Marc, not very optimistic about the evolution of the bike for the better.
–The theory is that whatever comes is better. But it is in practice where it has to be better, and in this test [the new bike] has not quite been what we are looking for, which is track performance.
Márquez, who has one year left on his contract with Honda, did not want to say what he will do or when he will decide, although he gave a new clue in this soap opera about his future: “Of course there is a deadline [to decide]. Regarding India and Japan I will decide”, that is, at the latest, before October 1, the day of the Motegi race, at Honda...
On the table, Márquez assures that he has “three plans” or options to choose from. “There is plan A, plan B and plan C. I said before that I had two, but there are three”; that is, continue with Honda, go to Ducati's Gresini team, or KTM achieves a fifth bike (or kills one of its current riders). “I have the three plans, the three very clear ideas and also very clear what has to happen for each of them. Time, time, relaxation to understand everything.” Which is a lot to ask.
Márquez's teammate, Joan Mir, also tested the new Honda prototype, and commented in similar terms: “It is clear that all the parts that were theoretically negative in this bike are still there. Maybe a little better in some ways, but they're still there. “The problems remain the same.”
