Germany GP, Bradl: “Physically on the limit, I also got burned”

Without Marc Marquez, the Sachsenring circuit went from being favourable to more than challenging for the Honda, with only one of the four RC213V riders, Stefan Bradl, able to finish the race, albeit outside the points zone. Conditions were extreme for everyone, with unusually high temperatures, and this was clear to see from the faces of the exhausted podium sitters, but the Honda factory riders also faced other problems.

Excessive overheating for Honda at the Sachsenring

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The German test rider crossed the line sixteenth and admitted: “I had a big issue with riding the bike in this heat”. He goes on: “After following people for the first few corners, I couldn’t brake because my right hand, the lever, became so hot and I couldn’t control the bike”. At that point, he lost contact with the other riders: “After a couple of laps, I had to drop back to get some fresh air for the bike and for my body. I just tried to finish the race, it was physically more than on the limit and I also have a burn on my right foot because it was so hot. It’s not acceptable to have this situation.”

The reasons for Pol Espargaró’s retirement

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Pol Espargaró’s situation was different, as he was also dealing with a physical issue after an incident during FP1: “The ribs just need time to recover but putting more stress on them each day doesn’t help. I tried to do what I could in the race, but the pain got worse and worse and with the heat, I was struggling to breathe. We also had a lot of heat on my right foot which added to the pain”. The only solution was to retire, thus putting a premature end to a weekend that had already begun on the wrong foot.

Translated by Heather Watson

German GP, disaster for Honda at the Sachsenring: from riches to rags