MotoGP news: Pol Espargaro fumes at Honda RC213V after poor French GP, 'it has no strong points'
- Sean Fisher
- 23 May 2022
Honda's struggles this season continued at the French GP, where rider Pol Espargaro endured a frustrating race, finishing down in 11th.
After achieving a podium finish in the opening race in Qatar back in March, Pol Esparagaro's season has quickly dwindled, not helped by the struggling Honda RC213V bike.
The 30-year-old Spaniard has since failed to break into the top 10 in the following six races, and a disappointing 11th-placed finish in the recent French GP has left Espargaro down in 12th in the championship.
Already 60 points adrift from championship leader Fabio Quartararo, Espargaro's season is quickly falling apart, and the Spanish rider put much of the blame on Honda's machinery.
The team made radical changes to their bike for the 2022 season, changing much of the philosophy behind their design. So far, it's a decision that has seemed to backfire, and an angry Espargaro has claimed the bike has "no strong points".
QP P11: A luchar mañana! // QP P11: Let’s fight tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/nSobSc3GV7
— Pol Espargaró (@polespargaro) May 14, 2022
"I'm angry with that always when I've been riding a bike, normally I felt I was strong in some places. In KTM I was very strong on brakes.
"I remember one race in Misano where they were much faster than me, I ended up on the podium because I was braking much later than them.
"It was my strong point and I was taking that to the limit.
"Now I feel with the Honda I have no strong points. I'm suffering stopping, I'm suffering in the middle of the corner, and I'm struggling on acceleration.
"So, that's why I arrived 20s behind the first because I have no strong points. I feel not fast, I'm not fast and I'm not riding well."
Another flaw Espargaro pointed out in the Honda bike was it's inability to overtake - a characteristic that left the Spaniard constantly on the back foot around France.
Here it is, the iconic Repsol Honda Team colours updated for a new RC213V and a new challenge in the @MotoGP World Championship! pic.twitter.com/khOuDRUOk9
— Repsol Honda Team (@HRC_MotoGP) February 8, 2022
"One of the biggest problems at the moment with this bike is I cannot overtake. I don't feel I have a strong point to attack the other riders.
"I was losing quite a lot on the acceleration, with the pure grip."
Espargaro's poor start to the season could see his Honda seat come under threat, with teammate Marc Marquez faring much better so far in 2022.
Espargaro will have a chance to redeem himself and gather some better results when MotoGP travel to Italy next week, with the race around the Mugello Circuit scheduled to start at 13:00 BST.
