How Honda has fixed a bike that only Marc Marquez could ride

Marc Marquez's injury and long subsequent layoff left Honda in a difficult situation. For an indefinite period of time, the team would have to adapt to life without the only rider - as far as results have shown - capable of extracting maximum performance from its RC213V.

As the weeks passed the criticism of HRC management and their lack of alternatives to Marquez (their most recent winner other than the Spaniard was Cal Crutchlow in April 2018 in Argentina) increased, fuelling the theory that their prototype had been designed solely for the success of the number #93.

The logic is sound when you consider that the man from Cervera is responsible for Honda's last 21 wins in MotoGP. On top of that, Dani Pedrosa's nosedive in form during his final season with HRC in 2018, when he failed to even make the podium, and a disastrous short spell there for Jorge Lorenzo in 2019, suggested there was foundation to the argument. Agreed wisdom was that Honda had decided to put all of its eggs into Marc Marquez's basket and at Jerez that basket broke.

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The current world champion does not completely agree with this theory, admitting that the Honda is not an easy bike to ride but insisting that he should not be the only one capable of taking it to its limit.

"If you look at the last 10 years, Honda's strategy has been perfect," he said in his first interview after finding out the length of his absence from racing. "As a team they have won more titles than any other. The bike is good, but you have to be 100% fit to take it to the limit because it is very demanding. However, when you manage it and the feeling is good, you can go really fast."

This view is backed up by HRC's five-time 500cc world champion Mick Doohan. "At one time there were seven Honda riders on the grid but only one of them was winning consistently," Doohan told Autosport. "Marc is right when he says it is not an easy bike to ride, but winning a championship shouldn't be easy. Honda develop the bike according to the feedback of the fastest rider and the guy who is winning. If the rest can't work out how to ride it, that's not his fault or Honda's."

Up until a couple of weeks ago, before the French Grand Prix, results had given credence to the counter argument: that the Tokyo manufacturer had slipped up with its long-term strategy.

With Marc out of action, HRC had no option but to try and understand the needs of its other riders, with the main focus on Takaaki Nakagami (above) and Alex Marquez. The Japanese is fifth in the championship, 29 points off the leader Joan Mir, and has been the more consistent of the Honda riders so far. However, back-to-back podiums from the younger of the brothers from Lleida - especially the one at Aragon, in the dry and after a stunning comeback ride to second from 11th on the grid - confirmed that the number #73 is the one to have taken a giant step forwards.

For Alex, the turning point was not so much at Aragon but at Misano, during the test on 15 September, where Honda brought a different chassis and new rear suspension, some improvements to the electronics and extended the wheelbase to better suit the frame of the taller Marquez (1.79m).

"Now I have more experience, and I have been able to test, so hopefully I can give more specific feedback and see where we can improve" Alex Marquez

After the test and between the two Misano races, Alex described his ideal bike: "I would like to brake later, accelerate earlier and get it to turn slightly better." Not much then... "That would be the perfect bike but we have to learn how to make the most of its strong points now and lose as little as possible in other areas. Now I have more experience, and I have been able to test, so hopefully I can give more specific feedback and see where we can improve."

The improvement was immediate. From finishing 17th in the first San Marino round, Alex crossed the line seventh the following weekend, improving his overall time by 17 seconds and finishing just 12s behind the winner. Another interesting comparison was the gap to Nakagami, which dropped from 12s (Misano 1) to just one second (Misano 2) in a week.

The youngest Marquez also topped a session for the first time, heading Sunday morning's warm-up, which would have no doubt boosted his confidence. However, the biggest confirmation came at Le Mans and Aragon, where the reigning Moto2 champion scored his first podiums in MotoGP and Honda's first in 2020.

So, what changed on a bike that was supposedly 'unrideable' for a rookie that allowed him to seemingly put it where he wanted on track at Motorland Aragon? According to Crutchlow, Alex's results are mainly down to the talent of a double world champion.

"We [Honda riders] all have more or less the same material," Cal explained at Aragon. "Alex is riding very well, it's that simple. There has been no miracle, there haven't even been massive changes."

However, the Coventry rider went on to add that Honda has not stopped working.

"We have a new rear suspension that seems to be better in certain situations, and some electronic upgrades," Crutchlow added. "Little things here and there that they are bringing. But the basic configuration of the bike is the same as what we have been using for the last three years."

Ramon Aurin, Alex's track engineer at Honda, told Autosport: "Alex managed the race really well at Alcaniz. At the end of the day we are talking about a double world champion. He has talent and experience."

Even though the experienced Spanish engineer, who has previously worked with the likes of Nicky Hayden, Andrea Dovizioso, Pedrosa and Lorenzo, is eager to point out the qualities of his rider, he was also keen to highlight the work being done by HRC to make life easier for a rookie making the step up to the premier class.

"The improvement came partly because we found some little things in the Misano test, some new parts that worked," Aurin added. "HRC have helped a lot. The advantage of being in a factory team is that they support you in any way they can and try to bring things you need to accelerate your development. That is one advantage that Alex has had."

Another key, according to Aurin, is the methodology in the garage: "I haven't worked directly with Marc but I have seen him in the box and Alex comes from the same school. They are very organised, very well prepared and they like to have a structure for every session. When it comes to making changes to the bike they are very clear: this works, this doesn't. That clarity helps a lot. To be honest he is very easy to work with."

Stefan Bradl, Honda's test rider and Marc Marquez's stand-in with the Repsol team, also pointed to Misano as a turning point with the RC213V.

"Alex has been using this new set-up since Misano, and little by little he is getting faster," said Bradl on Sunday. "He is understanding the bike really well now, so hats off to him. We are following the same direction because it seems the Honda only works well like this."

Bradl also went on to highlight the efforts of the factory engineers.

"Honda have had a tough few months and without Marc here the situation is more difficult," he said. "But we have kept our heads up and kept working and it seems like we are finding the way. We saw it at Le Mans already and then Alex proved it in Aragon, where his pace was very good. We are trying a lot of things and finding a direction to work in.

"Now Alex is going his own way. If you have a rider like Marc, it is normal that he sets the path. I am happy for Alex, because it hasn't been easy for him," concludes Bradl, who will this weekend contest his eighth grand prix as a stand-in.

"My style is different to Marc's. I am taller, smoother on the bike, easier on the tyre at certain points. We have different problems but I can help Honda to make a more complete bike" Alex Marquez

So has the Honda changed from a critical bike to a good one?

"Now I understand why everybody was saying that the Honda is a difficult bike," says Alex Marquez. "Because you have to be strong in everything, not just in certain points like with other bikes. That is why it is so demanding on a rider because you have to be on the limit in everything you do: in acceleration, in braking, and in mid-corner. With the others, maybe you can relax in one area but with the Honda that's not the case. Luckily, I think I am starting to get the bike in hand and I am enjoying it.

"My style is different to Marc's. I am taller, smoother on the bike, easier on the tyre at certain points. We have different problems but I can help Honda to make a more complete bike. With Nakagami, we are trying to make sure that this isn't a lost year for them.

"We have to bust the myth that the Honda is a difficult bike to ride," concludes 'Marc Marquez's brother', suggesting that in future the RC213V can be more than just 'Marc Marquez's bike'.