Autosport Plus

How real is the Honda MotoGP threat at Aragon?

From a surprise struggler to victory contender, 2020 has been a rollercoaster of a campaign for Honda and its riders. With Alex Marquez and Takaaki Nakagami finding form at the right time, can they pull off the latest MotoGP shock?

Lewis Duncan Oct 23, 2020, 3:51 PM

MotoGP championship leader Joan Mir admitted when he jumped off of his Suzuki after last weekend's Aragon Grand Prix that the pace of the Honda scared him. Factory rookie Alex Marquez cut through him effortlessly like sharpened steel and piled the pressure on race-winning team-mate Alex Rins to end up second.

Mir somewhat backtracked on those comments on Thursday ahead of this weekend's second instalment at Aragon, noting: "This is something I said after the race, I saw Alex was coming from the back with a lot of speed and he was turning quite well. I said this thing but now I don't really agree. It's true they have a lot of potential with this bike, but not especially scared from the Honda."

Share Or Save This Story

Author Lewis Duncan

Lewis Duncan is Autosport's International Editor and primary motorcycle racing reporter. A motorsport fan from a young age, Lewis became interested in journalism when he won the star letter competition in the February 2012 issue of F1 Racing Magazine. A member of the Autosport Academy from 2017, Lewis became a freelance motorcycle racing correspondent for Autosport in 2019 before becoming a full-time staffer in 2020 as International Editor.

While MotoGP coverage is his priority, Lewis also covers World Superbikes and road racing across the Motorsport Network, and hosts the Tank Slappers Podcast. He has also occasionally commentated on 750 Motor Club meetings. Away from motorsport, Lewis is a keen record collector with a collection unashamedly largely featuring Iron Maiden and Rush and an avid guitar player.