Nakagami has "extra pressure" in European races to save his MotoGP seat
Takaaki Nakagami says the early European races of the MotoGP calendar will come with “extra pressure” on him to try to save his LCR Honda seat for 2023.
The Japanese rider is out of contract at the end of 2022 and his place is currently under threat from young Moto2 star Ai Ogura.
Ogura has scored three podiums since stepping up to Moto2 in 2021 with Honda Team Asia and is currently second in the standings.
Nakagami’s Idemitsu-backed side of the LCR garage is specifically set up for a Japanese rider, with Ogura - whose Moto2 squad is also sponsored by Idemitsu - the only logical candidate to replace him should Honda elect to part ways at the end of 2022.
In four years in MotoGP with LCR and Honda, Nakagami has failed to score a podium and has managed a best of fourth on just three occasions.
With 2022 beginning in disappointing fashion for Nakagami - he has just one top 10 to his name on the LCR-run factory-backed Honda - pressure is mounting on the Japanese rider to try and save his seat.
“To be honest, from Qatar I had pressure,” he said, when asked by Autosport if the start of the European season this weekend in Portugal added pressure on him to perform for the sake of his future.
“But the last four races – Qatar, Indonesia, Argentina, America – was not the best performance of course. Just the one top 10 finish in Qatar.
Takaaki Nakagami, Team LCR Honda
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“I was not looking for those bad results. Now from Portimao, Jerez, those two races are really, really important for myself to get the confidence again.
“Then I need to show the team and HRC that I have the potential, that I have speed.
“So, maybe it’s some extra pressure but at the same moment I’m looking for my confidence coming back. So, these two races will be so important for the future.”
Nakagami added: “Also, I don’t want to be fighting for top 10. At least we can fight for the top five, top six.
“This is the minimum performance. Then of course if we have the chance or extra confidence, we can fight for the podium.
“So, the first step we need to bring back that potential because with the new bike, this bike has potential.
“So, you need to be competitive all weekend and make no mistakes.”
Nakagami’s LCR team-mate Alex Marquez is also out of contract with Honda at the end of 2022.
Aprilia open to supplying MotoGP satellite team in 2023
MotoGP Portuguese GP: Marquez tops wet FP1 by dominant margin
Haas: No plans to change F1 team model despite nearing budget cap
Gunther Steiner says there is no plan for Haas to change the model of its Formula 1 team despite nearing the budget cap with a new title sponsor.
Supercars team reveals coin toss chassis allocation
Supercars squad Team 18 used a combination of a coin toss and a ping pong ball lottery to allocate its new chassis to drivers Scott Pye and Mark Winterbottom.
HPD boss "amazed" by GTP reliability on debut at Daytona 24 Hours
The boss of Honda Performance Developments has expressed his amazement at the high levels of reliability demonstrated by the all-new GTP prototypes in last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours.
Is AI ready to take over Formula 1 strategy?
The viral success of ChatGPT since its launch has lifted interest surrounding Artificial Intelligence to new heights.
The other Suzuki signing that could transform Honda's MotoGP form
Following Suzuki's decision to quit MotoGP, both of its former riders have landed at Honda for 2023. But perhaps its biggest signing from the now-defunct team could instead be a highly-rated technical manager. Is Ken Kawauchi the right man at the right time to steer HRC back to glory?
How the MotoGP paddock has offered refuge to Suzuki's former team
Suzuki's unexpected departure left more than 40 professionals virtually jobless for the 2023 MotoGP season. But that human drama has been successfully corrected by the paddock itself, with most former Suzuki crew-members absorbed into other operations
How one MotoGP team went from title fights to losing it all in four years
The Petronas Sepang Racing Team came into MotoGP with a bang in 2019 as regular front-runners, with wonder rookie Fabio Quartararo mounting a title challenge in 2020. But it all went wrong for the Razlan Razali-helmed squad as the team changed hands and tumbled down the order - and RNF Racing plans to right this in 2023
Is MotoGP's comeback king ready to reclaim his throne?
Marc Marquez’s sixth premier MotoGP title seems a long time ago given the injury woes he has faced in the three years since. At the end of a fraught 2022, in which he had a fourth major operation on his right arm, the Spaniard speaks exclusively to Autosport
How MotoGP’s underachiever is working to reverse its fortunes in 2023
As European manufacturers emerged as the strongest force in 2022 in a changing of the guard for MotoGP, one powerhouse couldn’t quite match the feats of Ducati and Aprilia. Its motorsport chief tells Autosport why this is and what it is doing to become a consistent frontrunner in the class of kings
How MotoGP riders are preparing for the physical stress of sprint races
With the expansion of the calendar to 21 grands prix and the introduction of sprint races, the 2023 MotoGP season will take the riders to almost 1,300 kilometres of competition more than this year, a factor that forces adjustments in their physical preparations.
The Ducati rider who is much more than just the brother of a MotoGP legend
Surname pressure is something many have had to deal with in their motorsport careers. And while Luca Marini doesn’t have that, his familial relation and the team he rides for in MotoGP have cast a brighter spotlight on his progress. But, as he has shown in 2022 – and as he reveals to Autosport – Marini is so much more than just the brother of a legend
Ranking the top 10 riders of MotoGP 2022
The 2022 MotoGP season was another hotly contested championship, with Francesco Bagnaia emerging as the title winner after the campaign went to the wire. Autosport picks out the 10 best performers of the season
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.