Honda tested the new prototype for the 2024 MotoGP season at last week’s test in Misano. This bike had positive feedback from Joan Mir and Stefan Bradl, while Takaaki Nakagami preferred the current bike – just as Marc Márquez’s (Repsol Honda).
The six-time world champion confirmed that there was a split in preferences during the test but emphasized that the new bike still lacks the improvements that it needs: ‘On the test we were 2-2: me and Taka were a bit like we prefer the other one, and Stefan and Mir prefer the new one. It’s true that in the end if you prefer the new one but you finish in the top of the standings, then I can understand. But it’s not the case at the moment. What I say is that isn’t enough to fight for the top positions next year. It can be a bit better, but we are not looking for one tenth; we are looking for six, seven tenths per lap. So, it’s there where we need to change and for me it doesn’t matter to ride a bike one tenth faster or slower – we need much more. This is my opinion and I just keep working to improve that and to keep pushing’.
Márquez also noted that riding and track conditions are different during testing: ‘Another point is that you don’t have the same riding style in the test, especially in the afternoon that there is a lot of rubber [on the surface] and you can use a lot of banking compared to the race week’.