Marquez: Honda MotoGP bike “out of control” in qualifying
Alex Marquez says the Honda feels “out of control” and “a bit more radical” in time-attack trim, after the rookie qualified 17th for the MotoGP Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The factory Honda rider has so far failed to lift himself higher than 17th on the grid in the seven rounds run this season, though has proven to have strong race pace with four points-finishes.
His race pace in Saturday’s FP4 – in which he was seventh – was comparable to the likes of Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci and KTM’s Brad Binder around him. But, once again, in qualifying on fresh soft rubber, Marquez tumbled down the order, with his best of 1m31.198s just over 1.1 seconds off Maverick Vinales’ pole time.
“We are able to manage the rhythm in a good way and keep it really good, but we are not able to improve one second with the new soft tyre like the other ones and be a little bit faster in qualy,” Marquez explained. “It’s what we are missing since Jerez. We improved it a little bit, but everybody is also improving that step and everybody is faster and faster. So, it’s what we are missing.
“On the bike I feel quite great, but just when we put on the new tyre everything is out of control, the bike changes a little bit and it’s a little bit more radical on new tyres.”
Explaining how the Honda is behaving on a time attack, Marquez added: “Yeah, the movement is more radical, everything is shaking more. So, it’s what I’m trying to control or to get used to that. But it’s still difficult for me when I put in the new tyre.
“Honestly, I felt much better with the medium rear tyre in FP4 than in qualy with the soft one. So, I need this kind of feeling where I maybe need to close the eyes a little bit and push more. But at the moment I don’t have the feeling to do it.”
Saturday at Misano proved tough for the only other Honda rider present in LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami, who crashed in FP4 and qualifying at Turn 15, and ended up 12th on the grid.
He says his crash in qualifying was a result of a “miscommunication” within the team regarding front tyres, which Nakagami sent out on a hard – which he crashed on in FP4 – instead of the medium.
“After the crash [in FP4], I jumped on the second bike which has not the best setting, but we kept it to prepare for the qualifying,” he said. “And in qualifying I had a crash again in the same point and exactly how I crashed [before], because I’m missing the communication inside the team and they put a hard front again and I crashed.
“The plan was the medium front and soft rear, but inside the team they have some miscommunication. It was the hard front and I had a crash because the temperature is very low on the left side.”
Espargaro “needed to crash” in practice to understand limit
Vinales says wrong tyre advice “wasted” his San Marino GP race
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.