Honda team manager Alberto Puig states that the RC213V is still not prepared for Luca Marini and Joan Mir to be competitive as they head into the new MotoGP season.
Both Luca Marini and Joan Mir faced setbacks during the Qatar MotoGP test due to illness, limiting their track time at a crucial moment.
Despite improvements from Honda compared to 2023, the gaps to competitors like Ducati still loom large.
At Losail, Johann Zarco emerged as the fastest Honda rider, yet he finished 17th, over 1.2 seconds adrift of Francesco Bagnaia’s leading time.
The full factory duo ended in 19th and 20th positions, with Marini battling a virus on the opening day and Mir sidelined for most of day two due to vomiting.
“Unfortunately our two riders have been ill,” Puig told MotoGP.com. “On Monday Luca Marini had a virus in his stomach and Tuesday it was Joan Mir; he was not on track so much so because of this we could not do so many tests.
“The package is not ready for them. Not because they could not ride today, but we are still looking for the best setting, best compromise for the grand prix.
“This is the current situation. We know where we improved and where we still need to improve.
“We’re trying to speed that up as much as possible with the things we need to improve to receive them before the start of the championship.
“We understand that the bike is a package. It’s not only aero that we have to work on. We have to fix other areas of the bike.
“You cannot just fix one thing with these bikes nowadays. We think we can improve in some other areas.”
Speaking further, Puig mentioned the concessions, noting their significant advantage for Honda.
However, Honda has not yet established a definitive plan for the testing schedule of their riders throughout 2024.
Puig added : “We are trying to understand what are the best options to have a plan. We don’t have a closed plan yet.
“The program will be interesting and helpful for the development of the bike.”
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