MotoGP: Pol Espargaró also consistent – is Honda on the right track?

For years, we have witnessed Marc Marquez’s domination with the Honda, a winning streak that was only broken when he hurt his shoulder in 2020. And that setback also brought the Japanese giant’s golden moment to a standstill, the manufacturer having increasingly developed the bike to suit the Spaniard’s needs, while its other riders struggled to adapt. The eight-time champion’s injury set off an alarm bell that has seen Honda adopt a new philosophy.

A positive first check

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The Japanese factory began to develop a bike that can be ridden competitively by other riders too, those with a different riding style, and this move coincided with the arrival of Pol Espargaró. After a four-year relationship with KTM, the Spaniard was quick to accept the Tokyo manufacturer’s offer, and 2022 has got off to a pretty good start for him. Sure, we’re only talking about testing, but the younger Espargaró brother stood out at Sepang, clocking up the miles and setting an interesting pace.

An encouraging start

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If we look at the timesheets, he finished just behind his team-mate, less than a tenth off in fact, which could be indicative of the step forward that Honda has taken. Will it really be able to build a bike with strengths that can be exploited by riders other than Marc Marquez? For now, the signs on track are encouraging, but we’ll have to see whether or not these are confirmed in the upcoming tests, and in the races of course.

Translated by Heather Watson

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