Honda: Teams' title would be "incredible" in current situation
Honda MotoGP team boss Alberto Puig admits that securing a triple success of riders', manufacturers' and teams' titles in 2019 would be "incredible" given Jorge Lorenzo's current performances.


Marc Marquez already sealed his sixth riders' title earlier this month at Buriram, and two weeks later he put the manufacturers' prize beyond reach of Honda's rivals at Motegi.
The Spaniard's latest victory in Australia last weekend means that the Repsol Honda team is now only one point behind the factory Ducati squad in the race for the teams' title, a prize that would complete a Honda 'Triple Crown' for a third successive year.
Of the 408 points scored by the team this year, 375 have been earned by Marquez, with Lorenzo contributing only 23 - and test rider Stefan Bradl the remaining 10.
By contrast, Ducati's tally of 409 points is split roughly 60-40 between Andrea Dovizioso, who has secured second in the riders' standings, and Danilo Petrucci.
“It would be great to get the Triple Crown," said Puig. "Marc is trying very hard, and winning that teams' title in the current circumstances would be incredible.
“The negative point in Phillip Island is the situation and the result obtained by Jorge Lorenzo."
At Phillip Island, Lorenzo finished outside of the points for a fourth successive race, 16th and last of the finishers and over a minute behind Marquez.
The struggling 32-year-old was a full 26 seconds down on 15th-placed Hafizh Syahrin.
“The result is very bad," admitted Lorenzo. "Of the riders who finished I was last. At this track I did not go well in recent years and it was also very cold and windy.
"I tried to save the tyre on the left side as much as I could, but I did not succeed and the last laps were very bad.
“I already knew I was going to suffer, you hope for things to change but they don't. In Malaysia, under normal conditions, we hope it goes better.
“We are a point away from the triple crown, something to which I am not contributing much. Marc winning the race comes as a surprise to me."

Jorge Lorenzo, Repsol Honda Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Iannone "proud" to be first Aprilia MotoGP leader
Nakagami undergoes successful shoulder surgery

Latest news
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Motorsport.com, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock of Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. We analyse what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP's most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn't been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made
How ‘Beast’ mode is putting Ducati in 2022 MotoGP title contention
Enea Bastianini’s second win of the 2022 campaign at COTA puts him back in the lead of the standings and once again showed the best Ducati package is still the 2021 bike. Those closest to Bastianini tell Motorsport.com why he’s so good on the GP21 relative to his factory counterparts.
How Espargaro helped Aprilia shed MotoGP's underdog tag
Aleix Espargaro became MotoGP's newest winner in a thrilling Argentina Grand Prix in which he also proved the merits of the Aprilia project. After six years of hard graft, both parties have reaped the rewards they have long thought they deserved. But it was several key moments in that journey that led both to that momentous Sunday at Termas de Rio Hondo.