Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Recommended for you

‘Being able to write my sprint notes by hand was a good sign’ says Marquez

MotoGP
Italian GP
‘Being able to write my sprint notes by hand was a good sign’ says Marquez

Marco Bezzecchi says Mugello sprint was “gone” after Turn 1 error

MotoGP
Italian GP
Marco Bezzecchi says Mugello sprint was “gone” after Turn 1 error

Bagnaia pours cold water on Ezpeleta's safety proposals

MotoGP
Italian GP
Bagnaia pours cold water on Ezpeleta's safety proposals

The changing fortunes of F1's drivers with a point to prove

Feature
Formula 1
Canadian GP
The changing fortunes of F1's drivers with a point to prove

MotoGP Italian GP: Fernandez scores maiden sprint win in Aprilia 1-2

MotoGP
Italian GP
MotoGP Italian GP: Fernandez scores maiden sprint win in Aprilia 1-2

Solberg denies taking too much risk before WRC Rally Japan crash

WRC
Rally Japan
Solberg denies taking too much risk before WRC Rally Japan crash

WRC Rally Japan: Evans leads Ogier after Solberg’s dramatic exit

WRC
Rally Japan
WRC Rally Japan: Evans leads Ogier after Solberg’s dramatic exit

Mercedes pulls out of Alpine F1 share talks over asking price

Formula 1
Mercedes pulls out of Alpine F1 share talks over asking price

Honda MotoGP bike "out of control" and "radical" in qualifying - Marquez

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 quali," 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."

Previous article Vinales says wrong Yamaha tyre advice 'wasted' San Marino MotoGP round
Next article Dovizioso explains "unemployed" message on Ducati MotoGP leathers

Top Comments

Latest news