MotoGP, Puig: “There are many things to improve on the Honda”

Honda is still in the storm. The changes at the upper echelons (with Kawauchi’s arrival and Kokubo’s return) need time to bear fruits but, in the meantime, they’re struggling. The Sepang tests proved that the RC213V needs major interventions, and the work done during the winter wasn’t enough. Team manager Alberto Puig, interviewed by motogp.com, can’t hide what the current situation is.

The bike seen in Malaysia “is an evolution of what we had in the Valencia tests, and we’re clearly not where we’d like to be,”  he admitted. “We continue to do tests. We have many ideas, but we have to prove that they work, and that’s what we’re doing.”

The impression is that they’re working on all fronts.

“We want to improve traction, but that’s not the only point. We need to improve many, many things, and we’re going in the right direction,” admitted Puig. “We don’t have a new bike concept. We don’t think we’ve reached our goals, and we have a margin on the engine and frame, but we need more time.”

At least Marquez is finally okay.

“Marc’s conditions are much better than last year. He can do a lot of laps, and this is super important,” the manager confirmed, and he also has confidence in the new arrival, Mir.

“We’ve seen a lot of progress from Joan. We mustn’t forget that he’s a two-time world champion, and that’s why he’s here, ” Alberto concluded.