MADRID, 21 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Team Manager of the Repsol Honda Team, Alberto Puig, has assured that it is “very difficult” to assimilate having gone from being “very fast” at the Mandalika International Circuit, where the Indonesian Grand Prix was held, to the performance of this weekend, and has stated that Marc Márquez must “focus on his recovery” after suffering a very hard fall in the ‘warm up’ that prevented him from competing.
“Going from being very fast a month ago to the situation we have been in this weekend, it is very difficult for our drivers and it is difficult to be consistent and have confidence. In general, we cannot be happy,” he explained in statements provided by the team. “The feeling, frankly speaking, hasn’t been good at all,” he added.
This Sunday, Marc Márquez was unable to run after suffering a chilling fall in the ‘warm up’ -after hitting the ground twice on Saturday- that caused him a head injury, while Pol Espargaró could only finish twelfth.
Now, the one from Cervera must “focus on his recovery”. “This weekend has been very hard, the crash in ‘warm up’, the fourth of the weekend… it has been difficult. Right now we want him to rest. We believe we made the right decision given the circumstances of his crashes” He said about his not fit for the race.
Regarding the one in Granollers, he acknowledged that he had “a problem with his helmet”. “It seems that he could not see well and I think he will check this situation with his brand of helmets. Clearly he was not that fast, but from what he told us and the team after the race, he could not see from the first lap. “With such a large amount of water being in a group of four or five drivers, if you can’t see, you don’t have a chance. It wasn’t a good result for him,” he said.
Puig was also unsatisfied with the performance of the tyres. “In pre-season we were very fast and then all of a sudden Michelin changed the tire and our bike completely changed as well. We still don’t fully understand what happened and we will have to have a deep discussion with Michelin about the tire situation,” he said.
Lastly, he assessed the upcoming appointments in Argentina and Texas. “There is never anything normal in racing and you can never predict very much what will happen. We came here a few weeks ago, we were fast and now we are slow. Let’s see. We need to understand what happened to the Michelin tire, we need to have a deep conversation with them. “The next races are on circuits that have been good for Marc and for Honda in the past. We hope that Marc is recovered and that we can do our best.”