MotoGP
Honda “has to change way of thinking” to end MotoGP slump
Honda team boss Alberto Puig says the marque must “change our way of thinking” to end the current MotoGP slump it is enduring.
Lewis Duncan
Edited: Jul 14, 2022, 10:48 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The Japanese manufacturer has scored just 85 points in the constructors’ championship so far in 2022 after 11 races, with it having scored just one podium courtesy of Pol Espargaro when he was third in Qatar.
Since then, its best result has been a fourth for Marc Marquez at Jerez, with the six-time world champion still its top rider in the standings in 13th on 60 points having been absent since Barcelona due to a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020.
Honda overhauled its RC213V for 2022 to improve the rear traction issues which plagued it in previous years, but has seemingly made little progress, while also making the bike harder to anticipate on the front-end.
So bad have Honda’s struggles been in 2022 that in Germany it registered its first pointless result since it boycotted the 1982 French Grand Prix.
Speaking ahead of the summer break, Puig concedes that Honda is “clearly not competitive enough” and says it must change its approach to return to winning ways.
“Well, it’s not a good season for us and there’s nothing to go more deep in the situation,” he said.
“We are clearly not competitive and we have to improve. This is what we’re trying to do.
“You can say it in many different ways, giving a long explanation, but the truth is that we must improve, and we have to change our procedures.
“This is what we are trying to do. In the history of Honda, we’ve had more good moments than bad moments, results wise.
Alberto Puig, Repsol Honda Team Team Principal
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“But now we are in a bad one, so now we have to fix it.
“The history of Honda is they never give up. We can take this time or that time or that time, we will get there.
“But we probably have to change a little bit our way of thinking, and the key point is don’t give up in the chase, in the will to find the better solutions.”
In terms of its rider line-up, Honda will go in a new direction in 2023 as it gets set to shelve Pol Espargaro, Alex Marquez and Takaaki Nakagami.
Marquez, who will move to Gresini Ducati, is set to be replaced by Suzuki’s Alex Rins, while 2020 world champion Joan Mir is set to take Espargaro’s place at the factory Honda squad.
Nakagami looks like he could lose his place to Moto2 frontrunner Ai Ogura, while Espargaro is set to return to Tech 3 and KTM.
Read Also:
- MotoGP race winner Bagnaia in road crash while over alcohol limit
- Quartararo “complained too much” about Yamaha in early 2022 MotoGP races
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article MotoGP race winner Bagnaia in road crash while over alcohol limit
Next article Suzuki reaches agreement with Dorna for MotoGP exit after 2022
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Lewis Duncan
MotoGP 2025: Full rider line-up revealed
MotoGP
MotoGP
MotoGP 2025: Full rider line-up revealed
A year on from Marquez’s Germany MotoGP meltdown, has Honda improved?
MotoGP
MotoGP
German GP
A year on from Marquez’s Germany MotoGP meltdown, has Honda improved?
What’s behind MotoGP’s right-hander chaos in Germany practice?
MotoGP
MotoGP
German GP
What’s behind MotoGP’s right-hander chaos in Germany practice?
Latest news
Ducati copies swingarm fins and Aprilia responds with upgraded version
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
54 min
Ducati copies swingarm fins and Aprilia responds with upgraded version
Jorge Martin concedes 2026 MotoGP title is “already lost” after Malaysian GP withdrawal
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
1 h
Jorge Martin concedes 2026 MotoGP title is “already lost” after Malaysian GP withdrawal
Layne Riggs had no problem with teammate going for the win despite title fight
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Martinsville
2 h
Layne Riggs had no problem with teammate going for the win despite title fight
MotoGP Malaysian GP: Alex Marquez claims pole from Marc Marquez; Jorge Martin out
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
2 h
MotoGP Malaysian GP: Alex Marquez claims pole from Marc Marquez; Jorge Martin out
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe