Honda appears to be regaining competitiveness in MotoGP, but since 2020, the manufacturer has faced significant struggles – especially after Marc Márquez’s serious injury at the Spanish GP that year. In a recent interview, Carlos Checa discussed the situation.
Speaking to Fast & Curious, the Spaniard recalled: ‘I clearly remember the conversation Honda’s manager had with the directors in Japan, saying: «Look, [Casey] Stoner is asking for twice as much. Paying double is the same for us. If we need to build two brand-new bikes, it will cost us three times more, and this guy, no matter what bike you give him, wins». I think it was the same with Marc: they wanted the absolute best because they knew he made the difference. That’s no longer the case now, even with Marc. The same thing happened with Stoner at Ducati: you could give him any bike, and he was fast. I tested Stoner’s bikes, and I was like, «Damn, if this guy is fast on this, I don’t get it»’.
Checa believes Ducati lost many years of development with the self-supporting engine and aluminum frame concepts. However, things changed with Gigi Dall’Igna, who introduced groundbreaking innovations such as winglets and ride height devices, revolutionizing MotoGP from a technical standpoint.
Nowadays, according to the former rider, the focus is more on engineers than riders, which is where Honda has fallen behind: ‘Honda developed the seamless [gearbox] […], which works almost like an automatic transmission, but after that, they barely innovated. They haven’t brought anything new’.
Márquez was still able to compensate for Honda’s shortcomings before his 2020 injury, as Checa recalled: ‘Honda knew they didn’t have the best bike, but they had the best rider, and he could still win. Even the year he crashed in Jerez, I think he could have won the title. But that injury took a heavy toll on him, forcing him into a disastrous recovery process that kept him out for a long time. And when he came back, he found a bike that wasn’t up to par. On top of that, he had a major limitation: his shoulder rotation’.