This year, Honda has been at the tail end of the MotoGP pack in several indicators, including top speeds – although this is not necessarily an indication of a bike’s overall performance.
Johann Zarco, from LCR Honda, explained in a press conference that despite the low top speeds, the limitations of the RC213V come from aerodynamics:
– You don’t really look at the top speed. It is what it is, and the difference in top speed is not what is making the biggest difference in lap time. I think we are a few steps behind in terms of aerodynamics and I think that’s why we struggle in fast corners. But then, even on the straight, maybe we slow down a bit, because I don’t think it’s a real engine problem.
With Ducati, until 2023, Zarco had considerably higher top speeds, but he emphasized that there is no possible comparison: ‘I can’t compare to previous years; I was on a Ducati, where I could be a bit faster. Maybe it’s the way we exit corners, or the aerodynamics because in the past we were all on the same Ducati. […]. Sometimes top speeds on some tracks are when you are braking, so often the rider with the top speed is the one braking later‘.
